Exploring Racial Disparities in Addiction Awareness, Education and Treatment with Brenda Zane

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
The world of addiction and treatment are not exempt from the racial disparities we're so painfully aware of at the moment (June, 2020). This episode takes a look at what's happening in Black communities in the U.S. relative to:

• addiction as a percentage of the population vs white and other races
• how the opioid crisis and overdose deaths are impacting the Black community
• misconceptions about opioid prescribing and use
• barriers to gold-standard treatment including MAT
• and strategies to address opioid misuse and improve treatment outcomes

Research for this episode was primarily accessed via SAMHSA's website and publications and can be found in the show notes.

As a white, privileged woman with access to robust medical insurance, resources and support, this was a difficult podcast to record. I pledge to continue to look for areas where I can do better by highlighting areas for improvement and then working to make change in my own work and in the industry. 

This episode will give you an initial look at the situation around addiction awareness, prevention and treatment within the Black community. It will be followed by future episodes with guests who can better speak to the day to day realities of a disparate system that prevents POC from accessing the treatment needed to live a life free from addiction.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• SAMHSA Brief: The Opioid Crisis and the Black/African American Population: An Urgent Issue
• SAMHSA (2018). Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables
• Article: 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice by Corinne Shutack

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