Research indicates that disparities exist in the access of hospice and palliative care between White majority and minority populations. Minorities living in federally-designated medically-underserved areas may face barriers accessing these services for a variety of reasons originating from within and outside these communities. Furthermore, research has not explored the experiences of hospice social workers in medically-underserved areas straddling the worlds of hospice institution and outpatient home environments. This article explores and synthesizes relevant literature around medically-underserved minorities’ access to hospice and offer solutions for social workers bridging majority White hospice institutions and medically-underserved minority patients.
Keywords: medically-underserved populations; minorities; health equity; access to care; disparities
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