Home › Forums › Julio’s Sections › Grady Memorial Hospital-Black Man in a White Coat
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April 15, 2020 at 12:14 am #957sshreyaParticipant
Reading Tweedy’s novel has been eye-opening for me as I have been offered the lens to examine the racial and societal disparities prevalent throughout the American healthcare system within his stories. An aspect of his novel that has struck me as particularly interesting is his depiction of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Given that I live in Atlanta, I pass my this hospital on most days. Previously, the sheer magnanimity of the hospital with its thousands of flashing lights
used to always impress me as I passed by it. However, Tweedy’s stories portray an entirely different impression of Grady Memory Hospital with its crowded hospital rooms and hallways. It has forced me to consider how many other hospitals that I have passed by that I have taken for granted. Many times, I have considered hospitals such as Grady impressive only through its exterior without giving much thought to what occurs inside. However, the doctors who dedicate their lives towards helping those that may find it more difficult to access basic healthcare are equally as impressive. Some patients in the hospital were victims of gunshots and domestic abuse which is a stark difference from what I normally witness in my hometown. My ignorance of these patients and their situations bothers me as I have been living in Atlanta for many years without giving much thought to how societal structures such as American racism and greater Black susceptibility to more diseases create an overwhelming disparity in the quality and type of healthcare that certain Americans receive.Tweedy’s story is not something that I can read about and take comfort that it happening in an “unknown foreign place.” No, this story is in my hometown and I feel inclined to make it better as a future healthcare provider.April 15, 2020 at 9:39 pm #963colbycParticipantI agree that Tweedy has opened my eyes to the racial disparities in healthcare and I have also never given much thought to what occurs inside of my local hospital. I loved reading your forum post, as I also found it very meaningful that doctors commit to patients that would otherwise have no access to healthcare. I also have heard many great things about Grady hospital, yet I never realized the dedication these doctors show every day. Keep up the great work!
April 19, 2020 at 4:56 pm #996Hannah WhittingtonParticipantHello!
It’s very interesting that you live near Grady. It is very easy to read books such as this one like any other story, and forget that it describes problems that are happening in the real world around us every day. Though I am not planning on going into the medical field, I also feel that I was obliviously unaware to the problems that African-American men and women face regarding the healthcare system. I admire your dedication to makes steps toward fixing these problems in the future. It makes me wonder, what can people not in the medical field do to help this situation? I suppose just work towards becoming a society with zero discrimination regarding race, and to not be so quick to judge others’ situations. I would love to hear anyone else’s thoughts on this! Great response!
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