By Dianne Anderson

Even with 96% insured and 92% having a regular provider, older Black Californians are still facing tall barriers and disrespect once they arrive for care.

About one in three report dealing with racial bias, with their symptoms ignored and their pain untreated, according to Listening to Black Californians a report from the California Health Care Foundation.

To try to deal with the system, the report finds that nearly 70% of older Black women and over half of men exhaustively research their conditions before they get to the doctor to avoid getting brushed off and dismissed.

They are hoping for real health help, even as they face higher rates of the wrong prescriptions and doctors who don’t believe they’re actually in pain.

In the study, about 25% report blatant disrespect during health visits.

Candis Welch understands what it’s like to navigate the system.

Welch said Black women especially find that, in their experience with the healthcare system, their pain is minimized or ignored.

“It’s really unfortunate, the difference and the disparity,” said Welch, Executive Director of Rolling Start, Inc. “So many Black women and men do because we are often just brushed aside. Our pain is seen as addiction measures to produce drugs.”

In her own experience with a health condition and in pain, she said the bias was obvious, and the doctor looked at her like she was visiting for a drug opportunity.

“And, I do almost have to talk to them like a child because they are looking at you and assuming the worst and not trying to help,” she said.

In this July Disability Pride Month, the stats seem troubling with not a whole lot to be proud of, but Welch wants to change that.

“I know the stats may look unfavorable, but we do have a lot of prideful, exciting things happening for the month of July. We do, we get really festive and we have a lot of great programming. So it’s a happy time in July,” she said.

Coming up on Friday, July 24, Rolling Start’s mobile clinic is offering a free clinic from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Victorville Hub, located at 16519 Victor St., held in partnership with St. John’s Community Health.

She believes knowledge is power, and people can get the help they need when they reach out to Rolling Start services.

Through the program’s mobile clinics, she said they can come in for blood pressure and diabetes checks and get their vital stats, along with follow-up resources and information.

Candis Welch

“We’re trying to expand on our mobile clinics to also bring in a little bit of emergency preparedness efforts in that way as well. I’m also trying to improve and bring a mobile shower program to the mobile health clinic as well,” she said.

Right now, their healthcare-on-wheels handles most everyday needs, but she is also looking to expand into emergency preparedness by adding a mobile shower program to the mobile health clinic for a whole-person approach.

Working with local partners and institutions, along with some of their senior centers, she said they are able to provide a wide variety of wraparound services to reach people who typically can’t get to reliable care.

Services are stacked upon other services, such as healthcare access, twice-weekly food distributions in San Bernardino plus Victorville, along with computer labs for job and vocational support.

The clinic is less of a stop-in appointment and more of a one-stop survival hub. Transportation is also typically tough for seniors.

Between chronic illnesses and not a lot of money for gas, they may find it hard to jump on a bus.

She said they offer services to cover the gaps with gas vouchers, gas cards, and even Uber-style ride support so the community can get to medical appointments whenever their insurance or Medi-Cal partners allow it.

For those who don’t qualify for specific health transportation services, there’s also the local backup plan like Butterfli Transportation in San Bernardino. It offers low-cost, same-day rides, which she said are not just to doctors but also for errands like grocery trips, for $2 one way, or $4 roundtrip.

Through her mobile clinics, she said the process is straightforward, with intake, system enrollment, and onboarding someone as an RSI consumer if they aren’t already.

The program sees a lot of elderly, but she said they are also looking to help the younger demographic, including some services connecting to accessible housing and being able to allow clients to remain independent in their home.

Welch is fairly new at the helm of Rolling Start, Inc., but already she sees brighter prospects for the future of outreach into the community.

Since May when she took her new post, she has hit the ground running, wanting to make the community aware of their extensive programming, their health clinic, and how to access it.

“There’s a safe space in their community where they can go to upskill themselves, educate themselves, check on their health,” she said. “We have a podcast now, where we’re doing cooking classes online, health classes online. We’re really trying to provide a full wraparound service.”

Also coming up to expand disability access, La Sierra University Church is holding its second annual Inland Empire Abilities Faire, a small but growing resource event at the Zapara School of Business in Riverside.

On Sunday, July 26, the free event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Zapara School of Business at La Sierra University, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway in Riverside.

Caitlin Lopez, Disability Advisory Chair at LSU Church, said this year’s faire will focus on connecting families with about 16 vendors offering services such as ABA support, financial education, self-determination help, mobility technology, and AAC options, along with disabled artists and food vendors.

She said that the event is primarily a resource fair rather than a hiring event, with accessible parking, entrances, and restrooms on-site and optional Eventbrite registration for attendees.

“The Faire started out as a mission to not only bring resources to our community but also create opportunities for the greater community to learn about the Disability community,” she said.

For more information and events, see:

Butterfli Transportation: https://www.gobutterfli.com/

California Health Care Foundation: https://www.chcf.org/resource/listening-black-californians-disabilities/

Inland RC: https://www.inlandrc.org/pec-events/

Disability Rights California (DRC) Events & Legal Intakes: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/

IE Abilities Faire: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/inland-empire-abilities-faire-tickets-1990665560278