During the first COVID-19 wave we had several episodes exploring COVID’s impact on our communities. One episode was specifically about the impact on hospitals. During the interim years there are many new healthcare issues, including the closing of hospitals in poor and rural areas. In this episode we speak with Tizgel High, who works in the area of for-profit corporate healthcare management. Tizgel is a grad of the class of 2000, and a graduate of the University of Georgia Law School. Professionally, her focuses her career on liabilities for corporate management in hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. Our inquiry for Tizgel is can corporations deliver Quality Healthcare? As always, we are concerned with what is happening in our communities of color who are already suffering from a lack of services. The conversation is timely.
Profit vs. Care?
Just a few days after we recorded the episode, The Associate Press published an article about maternity wards closing in rural hospitals. This is an area she specifically touched on. It is important to understand the difference between charity hospitals, non-profit corporations and for profit hospitals. Only charity hospitals are driven by needs and not financial bottom lines. That is the tension we are trying to suggest with the title to the episode. Once the determination of what kinds of medical care can be given at what cost, do we exacerbate the already poor availability of medical care in marginalized communities. The questions are quite complex, and Tizgel did not shy away from the point. We will add some links on the resource page so our listeners can get a better idea of the complexities.
We also explored the idea of whether the health care industry might have an obligation to participate in the reparations discussion. Tizgel identified a role for both nonprofit and for profit corporations to play in the reparations discussion. Hope you enjoy the episode.