Access to neurological care for minorities

Minority groups comprise a major segment of the estimated more than 34 million Americans without insurance coverage and also the underinsured. Neurologic disease and neurologic complications of the major causes of morbidity and mortality affect minorities protracted by limited access to health care. Hypertension, a major cause of stroke in the black population, is just one example of the impact of accessibility to intervention in central nervous system disease. Health statistics note the persisting gap between minority groups and the nation's norms for life expectancy. Aging America and particularly black elderly women, combined with the lagging infant mortality among minority groups, demonstrate limited access issues beyond economics, reflecting inner city mores, cultural barriers, and communication delay limiting contact with the practicing neurologist. Awareness of such access limitations to neurological care for minorities demands the attention of the practicing neurologist and the neurological societies.