Local doctor aims to close health care gap
Dr. Thaddeus Bell
If you go
WHAT: Second Annual Thaddeus John Bell Scholarship Endowment Gala, benefiting Closing the Gap in Health Care and honoring Dr. Larry J. Ferguson
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: College Center at the Complex for Economic Development, Trident Technical College.
COST: $75 per person
To reserve tickets or to get more information, call 569-4888.
Thaddeus Bell, family doctor and long-time track and field runner, is a tireless promoter. He wants athletes to strive hard and cross the finish line. And he wants more young blacks to aspire to careers in medicine.
More black doctors are needed to improve the health disparities between blacks and whites, he said. But Bell is not just a good talker; he's putting money where his mouth is.
The Thaddeus John Bell Scholarship Endowment, part of his "Closing the Gap in Health Care" initiative, is the solution. It provides financial assistance to qualified black students who want to attend any of the Medical University's six colleges.
To help make his point, he is honoring prominent Charleston dentist Larry Ferguson at a gala dinner Saturday at Trident Technical College.
Health disparities between blacks and whites in the United States are pronounced. Blacks are much more likely than whites to develop life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and HIV, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Blacks constitute just over 30 percent of South Carolina's population, though they represent just 5 percent of the state's physicians, 6 percent of its dentists, 9 percent of its registered nurses and 4 percent of its pharmacists, according to the state Office of Research and Statistics.
Bell wants to change that.
The idea for the endowment was sparked two years ago by North Charleston-based insurer Select Health and developed in cooperation with Bell, then associate dean for diversity at the Medical University of South Carolina's College of Medicine, and Marlon Kimpson, an attorney at Motley Rice.
The scholarship endowment, designed to assist students attending MUSC, is administered by the Coastal Community Foundation.
By encouraging more blacks to become doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists, organizers hope to chip away at the racial differences in health care delivery and improve medical outcomes for blacks.
Nearly $100,000 was raised last year. This year, organizers hope to do better. The short-term goal is to fund the endowment with $1 million, Bell said. To be eligible, students must be black residents of South Carolina who are committed to working in the state.
Wilber Johnson, an attorney at Young, Clement, Rivers, is helping organize the scholarship gala. U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn and Medical University President Ray Greenberg are co-chairmen for the event.
Ferguson, the event's honoree, majored in chemistry at The Citadel and graduated from the Medical University's Dental College in 1979. He has been cleaning and fixing teeth for 28 years.
Ferguson joined the Air Force, where he served as a dental technician, an experience that planted the seeds of his future career.
Good dental health often correlates to good general health, Ferguson, Bell and others say.
Oral disease has been linked to heart disease, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes, early birth and underweight newborns, Ferguson said.
For example, periodontal disease, which affects the lining between bone and teeth, raises white blood cell counts, which can compromise the body's immune system, he said.
Increased plaque in the mouth can correspond to high cholesterol in the blood stream.
Bacteria that migrates from the mouth to the blood to the birth canal can provoke premature contractions and birth, he said.
Ferguson has completed his term as the first black president of the South Carolina Dental Association, and has served on the board of the American Dental Association Foundation. He helped start a free clinic on the East Side (now defunct), and has been active in the community for years.
It is this activism, untiring promotion of good health, and commitment to the new generation of doctors and dentists that is being recognized by Bell Scholarship Endowment organizers.
"The thing I don't want to stop doing is getting young people interested in dentistry," he said.
Reach Adam Parker at 937-5902 or aparker@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
mlm (anonymous) says...
I'm sorry for you Early, but Dr. Bell has always been on the cutting edge of doing what is right for ALL. Unlike many successful people he has always remembered to reach back with a helping hand to those who might be following him. That's what makes Dr. Bell a great person and not just successful Black doctor. I was fortunate to have known him in 1967 when he became the first African-American teacher at the now long gone High School of Charleston. For two years he taught 8th and 9th grade science as he waited for MUSC (just across the street) to take his medical school application seriously. How often we fail to appreciate what we have until after the moment has passed. Dr. Bell is an example to us all on how not to miss that moment.
April 7, 2008 at 9:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hey_U_Guys (anonymous) says...
Is this a serious article?
"By encouraging more blacks to become doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists, organizers hope to chip away at the racial differences in health care delivery and improve medical outcomes for blacks."
Will the delivery or outcome really be that different?
April 7, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
realityhurts4real (anonymous) says...
Here we go... blacks get bashed in the media for not taking care of their kids, committing crimes, and all the other negatives others can conjure up. Here's a prominent African-American Doctor who is trying to level the playing field by helping to create more African-American Doctors, who will inevitable and inherently understand the health issues that plague blacks. What do we say to this? Answer: Racism.
"A profound hatred for the African people is at the center of American Civilization"
April 7, 2008 at 10:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
prosperous_hb (anonymous) says...
Here is a positive story and someone want's to try and make this negative. I think this is indeed a good thing.
April 7, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
early: you cannot advocate personal freedoms on one hand and on the other argue against private citizens pooling THEIR money together to help any segment of society of their choosing. Be it Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Irish, Italians, Asians, the Klan, Skinheads, Black Panther, etc. Fortunately or unfortunately that is the beauty of this American society.
As long as this scholarship is funded with private monies then I don't care who prospers from it. I have a problem when PUBLIC funds are used to cater to one segment of society especially to the detriment of others.
To counter your point about additional black doctors not being of service to the black community, I beg to differ. Many blacks, especially males and the elderly respond better to those they feel some sort of affinity or kinship to. The desire to increase the #s of black medical professionals is not one of segregation or bigotry. It is to help build a bridge between the black community and the medical profession overall.
As coldbeer so eloquently put it, "You cannot say, on one hand, that the majority of crimes and problems are in the black community, and then, on the other hand, argue against programs directed to improve that community."
April 7, 2008 at 2:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
realityhurts4real (anonymous) says...
Early,
A human mind is like an umbrella, it doesn't work properly unless it is open.
April 7, 2008 at 2:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
Early: no, you choose what works for you. conversely, appreciate what works for others.
My analogy: i've used male gyn's for most of life starting back when i had medical problems back in high school. in fact males delivered my children. My daughters on the other hand will only see female doctors for their medical needs, gyn or otherwise. Are they wrong for choosing one gender over another? No. They see a doctor on a regular basis and isn't an issue for me that they request a particular gender. During an emergency both of my girls have been seen my male doctors and understood that in those circumstances you don't always get to choose who cares for you. but when it comes to routine care, they desire a female physician and i give them that right especially since their care is covered with private funds.
April 7, 2008 at 3:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LadyTarHeel (anonymous) says...
Once again a positive story turns into a racial argument. I think it's good that he wants to encourage black students to pursue higher degrees as many cannot because it is very expensive. I am speaking from first hand experience as I am a graduate student at MUSC. I participated in a program at my Undergraduate institution known as RISE which is aimed at increasing the number of minority students obtaining Ph.D. Is it wrong for the government to develop programs aimed at increasing diversity in the scientific community? I mean, as it was pointed out earlier, we are all Americans, so we should all be represented in health care, science, politics etc.
Hey_U_Guys: The outcomes may be different as some people, especially older black people, tend to identify better with those that look like them. Note that I did not say ALL black people or ALL older black people. Just some.
April 7, 2008 at 6:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lexylady (anonymous) says...
Thomas, you hit the nail on the head with that one.
April 7, 2008 at 6:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Dis (anonymous) says...
Interesting comments on this story.
It is funny how many tried to put a negative racial slant on this story, when in fact they should applaud this man, because it appears that his goal, if reached, will help ALL, not just Blacks. Consider that on average, Blacks have a much shorter life expectancy, tend to not visit doctors on a regular basis, and do not exercise regularly. Also consider that Black per capita income on average falls below other demograpics, and on average, do not accumlate wealth on the level as other races.
Those two facts are intertwined. If your family, or race, has a history of being unhealthy (for whatever reason), you will die early, and tend to be poorer while living. Your offspring will likely follow in your footsteps of unhealthy practices, and will be at a financial deficit due to your early demise and finanical shortcomings. After a generation, it could breed a host of not only major health issues, but also social issues as well (teen pregnacy due to lack of health/social awareness; crime due to a history of poverty).
One answer would be to promote better health in the Black community, and having more Black doctors would be a good way to start. Over time, a percentage of household would eat better, exercise, and therefore live longer. By simply living longer, they will earn more, save more, and become more productive than they would be otherwise. For some, this will drastically decrease the likelihood of their children falling into the cracks of social ills that affect many Black communities today. Not a cure-all, but definitely worth looking at.
Some of you called the doctor's viewpoint racist--I think he would be more of a racist (or better yet, a hater of all mankind) if he did not use is influence as a Black physician to search for solutions to make things better for the Black community...because improving the community will improve white communities as well. Show me a family that takes care of themselves physically, and I'll show you productive parents, and kids. And that is one less kid out in the Charleston area robbing or shooting you (whether you are black or white).
I applaud his efforts (he could be like some other Black successful professionals and do nothing to help communities become more healthier and self-sufficient)--and challenge anyone who critize his efforts to step up and perform a better public service for the community at large.
April 7, 2008 at 7:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
preachlove (anonymous) says...
Some of you people are just ridiculous! No matter what good a black person tries to do in this town, you will find fault with it. That's why this country will never be as great as it can be. It has too many people filled with hate.
April 7, 2008 at 9:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ImplantedYankee (anonymous) says...
I don't take issue with what this man is doing, but I do take issue with the way the article is written and some of the attitudes surrounding it. While not necessarily applicable to this case, I can understand the reactions of some to this article and the program on which it reports. For too long we have heard the tired ranting about wanting a color-blind world that invariably comes from the same mouths that, in the next breath, demand special consideration on the basis of color. Any movement so inherently rooted in blatant hypocrisy is never going to gain the respect it seeks. Again, to head off the inevitable rancor from those that struggle with both common sense and reading comprehension, I'll repeat that I don't think it's necessarily applicable to this story, but I do understand the reaction of some to it.
I further disagree with the article's insinuation that poor health, especially the ailments noted, is a matter of race. You could successfully use the same statistics without regard to color to draw conclusions about any other demographic characteristic, such as wealth. Access to healthcare plays a part, but I think a lot of it comes down to life-choices. Choices in diet, tobacco use, drug use, sexual activity, etc, can affect the health of anyone of any race or socio-economic background. Making the connection based on race is inappropriate unless they actually want people to draw the negative conclusions that can result. They should have just stuck to the statistics regarding the number of physicians and just left it at that.
One other comment:
"Many blacks, especially males and the elderly respond better to those they feel some sort of affinity or kinship to." I don't disagree. I'm sure plenty of white people feel that way too -- they're usually called racists.
April 7, 2008 at 11:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
impyankee: One other comment:
"Many blacks, especially males and the elderly respond better to those they feel some sort of affinity or kinship to." I don't disagree. I'm sure plenty of white people feel that way too -- they're usually called racists.
you are correct. First of all the words 'racists' and 'racism' are often used incorrectly in society. Second, it has seemingly been okay to brand Whites racists for for feeling comfortable with their own kind, when other races and ethnicities do the very same thing without the namecalling. Has anyone been to a 'Chinatown', 'Little Italy' or 'Little Havana' lately?
There is a double standard and it's unfortunate. There will not race relations if HYPOCRISY isn't taken out of the equation.
April 8, 2008 at 11:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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