In Sickness and in Wealth

As a registered nurse I see the effects of how wealth effects health.  In the film In Sickness and in Wealth, Larry Alderman Didn't show us how to cure illness but instead opened our eyes to how income, race, and social status impacts our quality of health as seen in Louisville Kentucky.  This is a problem every and not just in Kentucky.  So the question is does inequity make us sick? I agree that it does.  It is like nurture vs. nature, or genes vs. social involvement.  Each has a different outcome depending on the variables.  For Example two identical twins can live together in the same environment from childhood to young adult and have the same good health.  When they start to live different lifestyles the one educated with a higher income with no worries and the other with a lower income and many worries who share the same genes now start to have different health changes. One being in good health, the other in poor health.  What is actually being seen here is that higher incomes structures and resources have the best health.  According to the film the United States has the greatest income inequity. So who does this affect?  This affects the poorest sections as well as the middle class.  The reasoning to this is because the poor and the middle class have more stressors like the lower paying jobs and not being able to pay the bills.  

With increased stress comes underlying conditions which can lead to bad health. 

 So why does this happen?  When your stress increases your cortisol levels increase which over a long period of time can have negative effects on your health.  Elevated cortisol can impair your immune system.  This can lead to issues with your memory and brain functions.  It can also cause wear and tear on your body as well as damage you systems which can lead to heart disease and diabetes.  With this higher rate of disease your body will have and accelerated rate in aging which leads to early mortality.

 Big stressors presently, is the COVID-19 pandemic and  the fear of catching the virus.  Many people are not able to work because they are being forced to stay home and unemployment is up throughout the country.  This is tough because many people who were laid off do not have a back up plan because they didn't have a savings account and previously lived check to check.  Another fear is that  now that some the middle class and poor now have to remain in their jobs, the "front liners" and don't have the option to work from home.  In their minds this increases the risk of catching the virus.  This increase in worry and stress can cause long term issues in their health.  In RI alone unemployment is over 16%.  The longer this continues the increase in stress in the population and possible long term PTSD effects from this are irreversible.  Though some people may not show signs of bad health now in the future their my be repercussions from this. 

Adelman, L. (Director). (2008). In Sickness and in Wealth [Video file]. California Newsreel. Retrieved May 25, 2020, from Kanopy.

Introduction

Introduction:
Hi class.  My name is Julie Malloy and I am a Registered Nurse.  The past two years I have been working as a school nurse at Gilbert Stuart Middle School.  I am back at RIC because I have to take eight courses to get my certificate for my job with the Providence School Department. I have decided that once I complete the eight I am going to continue, take four more courses, and get my masters in education.  Previously I worked as a trauma nurse At Rhode Island Hospital and I am currently working the front line with RI DMAT/Medical Reserve Corps.  Who knew that working at a middle school would be just as busy as the ER.  Even though it is a challenging job being a nurse, it is what I love to do.  Every day is something different and you never know what is going to happen next.  The students definitely keep me busy and I enjoy every minute being there for them. 

My Manifesto:
I am a nurse and it is my job to be there for my students,  teachers, and staff in my school. With this crazy pandemic stemming from a horrible virus called COVID 19, my heart is breaking because I want to find a way to help the students whose lives have been turned upside down.  It saddens me that they are not allowed to be social, play sports, travel, or have a graduation, as well as other mile stones that they are not able to take part in.  I am the nurse that helps with their anxiety and other health issues every day in my school and now I can't.  I want to be there to tell them it is going to be OK.  I want to help them with their emotions that are now magnified with them having to stay home.  Every day they live in constant fear that they may loose a family member or friend because of this new unknown world that they are forced to be a part of and I can't physically be there for them to help them through this.  With distant learning they are no longer getting the social emotional part of being with other students in school.  Something that is very important in their cognitive growth.  I wish I could do more.  I am the nurse that will always be there and will never give up.