There is an epidemic of poverty in America, and we see it firsthand in the ED. Dr. Donna Beegle has dedicated her life to studying this epidemic, and training others to help break the cycle of poverty. She shares her own personal story of growing up in generational poverty, then helps us understand the scope of poverty in the U.S., and how it affects health. UC Davis Emergency Medicine NP, Danise Seaters, joins us to discuss some strategies for medical providers to help recognize patients who may be struggling with poverty, and how to optimize their care in the ED. This starts with recognizing our own biases and making a conscious effort to avoid letting our biases affect how we interact with patients. Communication is also key - connect and identify with your patients, avoid medical jargon, and offer resources. 

What strategies do you use to identify and care for patients struggling with poverty? Connect with us on social media at @empulsepodcast, or on our website, ucdavisem.com. 

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***Registration is now open for UC Davis Emergency Medicine Update: Hot topics 2019!

November 5-9 at the Kahala Hotel and Resort in Honolulu, Hawaii***

Hosts:

Dr. Julia Magaña, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Dr. Sarah Medeiros, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Guests:

Dr. Donna Beegle, President and Founder of Communications Without Borders

Danise J. Seaters, ACNP-bc, M.S., Emergency Medicine Nurse Practitioner at UC Davis

Resources:

Communication Across Barriers: a consulting firm founded by Dr. Beegle, providing training and resources to help break the cycle of poverty in America. Resourses include Dr, Beegle’s books, See Poverty…Be The Difference, and If Not Me, Then Who?

UC Davis Center for Poverty Research

Overcoming Obstacles to Health, Report From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the Commission to Build a Healthier America

Development of a tool to identify poverty in a family practice setting: a pilot study.

Brcic V, Eberdt C, Kaczorowski J.

Int J Family Med. 2011;2011:812182. doi: 10.1155/2011/812182. Epub 2011 May 26. Erratum in: Int J Family Med. 2015;2015:418125.

Thank you to the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine for supporting this podcast and to Orlando Magaña at