Mila Clarke: [00:00:00] Hey, Diabesties, welcome back to Your Diabesty, the podcast that ensures you never have to do diabetes alone. My name is Mila Clark, and I’m your host. I live with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, and this is the podcast where we talk about all things diabetes with compassion, realness, and a sprinkle of humor.
Mila Clarke: Today, we’re diving into a powerful and necessary topic from my perspective, and that’s diabetes and privilege.
Mila Clarke: I want to start by getting on the same page with you. So what is privilege in simple terms?
Mila Clarke: Privilege refers to the unearned advantages certain people have because of their identity or circumstance. So things like race, Socio economic status and even geographic location can aid in terms of privilege. These [00:01:00] advantages might not always be visible to the people who hold them, but they can have a big impact on how easily someone can access things like healthcare, education, and other resources, especially when it comes to managing a chronic disease like diabetes.
I wanted to break down some ways privilege shows up in diabetes care. it’s something that some of us experience and some of us don’t. to me, it was interesting to visit the dichotomy of what privilege can look like When it comes to having the best health outcomes possible.
Mila Clarke: Privilege is most obvious when it comes to access to healthcare. If you have good health insurance, and you have relatively good health, [00:02:00] you can afford things like insulin, continuous glucose monitors, and regular doctor’s visits. For many people without these privileges, or even people who do have the privilege of having a job that offers good health insurance affording insulin or supplies can be a constant battle, and that’s just one layer.
Mila Clarke: For a big example, black and Hispanic people with diabetes are more likely to be uninsured than their white counterparts. And it makes it harder to manage the condition effectively when you don’t have the access to get the help and guidance that you need. Oftentimes, this is a direct result of the systemic inequalities that exist in healthcare systems around the world.
Mila Clarke: Another place that privilege can show up is an education and awareness about diabetes, having access to diabetes care and education specialists. Dieticians, specialists like endocrinologists, [00:03:00] or even reliable online resources can make a huge difference in how well you’re able to manage the condition. But many people don’t have those resources readily available. For instance, in underserved communities, A person with access to medical professionals and education may get the help they need to know how to adjust their medication based on their food or exercise. But somebody without that privilege might not even know where to begin and might not even have a person to ask when they get this diagnosis.
Mila Clarke: Another big part of education and awareness starts in the doctor’s office as a board certified health and wellness coach. I see people who are diagnosed with diabetes. And the first thing that they tell me is I was just told to change everything I do in my life with no roadmap. and no [00:04:00] guidance.
Mila Clarke: I don’t think that that just occurs to someone who might not have privilege. I think that occurs a lot in general to people who are diagnosed with diabetes every single day.
Mila Clarke: It’s incredibly important to establish self advocacy when it comes to learning to manage your condition. there should be the ability for everyone to access educational tools to help them manage whether or not they have access to a healthcare provider that they can visit with on a regular basis.
Mila Clarke: It’s not okay that someone walks out the door not understanding what their condition means and how to make those first steps forward.
Mila Clarke: Every patient who walks out of that doctor’s office or emergency room should know specifically the steps forward for [00:05:00] them. Because another layer of privilege is a referral to a specialist dietician or diabetes care and education specialist. It’s an additional co pay.
Mila Clarke: It’s an additional amount of time that you may have to take off work. maybe you don’t have that time to be able to take it off Doctor’s appointments are short. but there have to be ways to educate patients. so that they’re aware of what steps they can take to move forward and what the landing into this disease looks like. talk about is so obvious and it’s racial and socioeconomic disparities. people of color face higher rates of type 2 diabetes due to a [00:06:00] combination of factors, including reduced access to health care, cultural barriers, and economic disparities.
Mila Clarke: This isn’t just a matter of individual health choices. You’ll hear some people say they have type 2 diabetes. It’s their fault. They did this to themselves. They caused this. But really, you have to think about the entire history, especially in the context of the United States, of the long standing systemic inequalities have existed since this country’s founding.
Mila Clarke: I wrote an article some time ago on Healthline about health disparities in minority communities when it comes to diabetes care. Black Americans are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than white Americans. And the statistics shows how deeply racism and social inequalities are embedded in healthcare outcomes.
Mila Clarke: It’s important to recognize that diabetes management looks different depending on your racial [00:07:00] and socioeconomic background. privilege is often a hidden factor in those differences.
Mila Clarke: Mental and emotional health is another aspect of diabetes that is draining and takes a lot of resources. Managing diabetes takes a toll on mental and emotional health and having the privilege of support systems, whether it’s your healthcare team, your family, your community
Mila Clarke: your friends. Can make the burden easier to bear, people who lack these resources may feel overwhelmed and isolated. this emotional burden is often magnified for those facing other systemic issues like racism, poverty, lack of health care access, food insecurity, all of these things compound and compound and compound upon each other, creating that layer of privilege.
Mila Clarke: You may not think that having [00:08:00] family community healthcare team or support system is a level of privilege, but it is. You have people who have your back, who fill in the gaps with resources you may need, whether they are resources that are physical, like medication, like money.
Mila Clarke: like things to help you manage your illness, but also that mental and emotional health aspect is better when you have people who understand who can listen to you, and who you can really give your heart to and say, this is how I’m feeling. It’s a privilege, that
Mila Clarke: can enhance the way you manage diabetes.
Mila Clarke: Privilege plays a role in advocacy and policy change. Those with more social and financial capital often have a louder voice in healthcare policy discussions, and they can influence laws and guidelines that can shape diabetes care.
Mila Clarke: [00:09:00] Unfortunately, people from marginalized groups are often left out even though they may need systemic changes the most. It’s why advocacy is crucial and why inclusivity is crucial. We are all different human beings who come from different backgrounds, who have different levels of access.
Mila Clarke: we have to also raise our voices and include those who don’t have the privilege to do so. push for policy changes that make diabetes care more equitable for everyone living with diabetes, and not just the people who are invited to the table and invited into the room.
Mila Clarke: Now, before we go further, I want to make something really clear. There is nothing inherently wrong with having privilege. It’s not your fault you have privilege. Privilege isn’t something that we always choose or [00:10:00] control. It’s often a result of the circumstances we’re born into, or the opportunities that come our way.
Mila Clarke: But in order to have real conversations about inequality and equity, especially when it comes to diabetes care, we have to acknowledge that privilege exists. When we ignore privilege, we miss out on understanding the full picture.
Mila Clarke: Privilege gives some people access to better health care tools and education, but it can also leave others in a precarious position where they’re struggling just to survive. it’s not about making someone with privilege feel guilty. it’s about recognizing the difference it makes
Mila Clarke: and doing what we can to bridge the gap for others when we realize that not everybody starts off on a level playing field. Acknowledging privilege isn’t about blame. It’s about responsibility. It’s about using what we have to help [00:11:00] advocate for more equitable healthcare systems, more education for underserved communities, and more access to the tools that people with diabetes need to live healthy lives.
Mila Clarke: And when we can recognize where privilege shows up, that’s when we
Mila Clarke: can start to use it to create good change.
Mila Clarke: So you’ve listened to this episode and you’re like, Okay, Mila. Well, you just talked to me about my privilege and all the things that I have that other people don’t have. So what do I do? What can I do? acknowledging the way that privilege shows up in our own lives is so important. If you’ve been fortunate enough to have access to high quality diabetes care, access to education, access to support, use that privilege to advocate for those who don’t, but also bring them along because it’s not enough to speak for them.
Mila Clarke: What matters is giving them a [00:12:00] place to speak for themselves and their needs. that takes inviting people to be in the same place sharing tools and resources and understanding we can make a collective difference to make diabetes care equitable.
Mila Clarke: if you’re just one person, you can support advocacy groups working to provide access to care and education for underserved communities. You can volunteer your time or donate diabetes supplies. You can support organizations that are doing work to bridge the gap in health care equity.
Mila Clarke: you can also talk to organizations and ask them why they’re not supporting equity for people with diabetes and ask, or ask them, what are they doing to support equity for people with diabetes? Asking the question opens the door to a response, and when they know more people are paying attention, it makes a huge difference.
Mila Clarke: Industry leaders really should look at prioritizing making [00:13:00] diabetes tools like technology and medications more affordable and accessible by lowering costs or creating more inclusive programs, yes, we cater to people who have insurance, who are able to pay, but there are people who don’t. Who can’t pay or who don’t have the resources or who don’t have the access who still need the tools. So what kinds of things can we do to make these tools and education more accessible for people who don’t have the basics?
Mila Clarke: researchers, can ensure that studies include diverse populations and focus on finding solutions that work for the most people, not just those with access to premium care. It’s difficult finding diverse populations and ensuring their safety, ensuring that they can trust the process when it comes to research, but it’s the only way to [00:14:00] know through science how different outcomes affect different people.
Mila Clarke: seek a diverse population base for clinical trials. And bring those people who have mostly been ignored. Policymakers have to push for healthcare reforms that address these inequalities and make diabetes care affordable and accessible for all. And that’s a big ask when we can’t even agree that All human beings deserve rights, but it’s something that I’m hopeful we’ll figure out at some point.
Mila Clarke: The big ask from the collective, from individuals, industry leaders, researchers, policymakers, physicians clinicians, from people who just work with people with diabetes, from nonprofits, Everybody should be working to ensure that people with diabetes, regardless of their background, regardless of the access that they have to tools, start off on equal footing it can be a matter of [00:15:00] thriving with diabetes, or it can be a matter of dying because of diabetes.
Mila Clarke: All right, Diabetes, I didn’t want to end on that somber note, but that’s it for today’s episode. I’m curious about your thoughts about privilege in the diabetes space and how that shows up. I hope this conversation opened your eyes to the role of privilege in diabetes care and what we can do to make a difference.
Mila Clarke: Check out the show notes at diabestepod. com. You can find resources on advocacy and ways to get involved and check your privilege.
Mila Clarke: Show notes include citations and information
Mila Clarke: I always love to know the thoughts on this episode. share your thoughts on diabetes and privilege, and as always, stay empowered, stay educated, and I will catch you in the next episode. [00:16:00] Take care, and I’ll talk to you in the next one. Bye.
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