Compounding Trauma: the Intersections of Racism, Law Enforcement, and Injury

Abstract

Purpose of Review Traumatic injury sits at the nexus of law enforcement and structural racism. This narrative review aims to explore the major impacts of law enforcement on health, its intersections with US structural racism, and their joint impacts on traumatic injury and injury care. Recent Findings Many of the same forces of systemic disadvantage that put Black people, other people of color, and other marginalized groups at risk for violent injury also expose these same individuals and communities to intensive policing. Recent evidence speaks to the broad impact of police exposure and police violence on individual and community physical and mental health. Moreover, injured patients who are exposed to law enforcement during their care are at risk for erosion of trust in and relationships with their healthcare providers. To optimize the role of law enforcement agencies in injury prevention, collaboration across sectors and with communities is essential. Summary A broad approach to the prevention of injury and violence must incorporate an understanding of the intersecting impacts of law enforcement and structural racism on health and traumatic injury. Clinicians who seek to provide trauma-informed injury care should incorporate an understanding of the role of law enforcement in individual and community health.

Proceedings of a Workshop to Promote Community Health Worker Interventions in Nephrology

“…Trauma-informed care consists of screening for and recognition of past traumatic experiences, understanding the effects of trauma, emphasis on emotional safety and avoiding triggers, and knowledge of helpful treatments for trauma, and should be con-sidered when working with all individuals with kidney disease. [21][22][23][24][25] Heightened awareness of the potential for retraumatization of CHWs is important, given their shared experiences with mentees. Training CHWs in motivational interviewing was felt to promote lasting behavioral changes among mentees.…”

History of Racial Discrimination by Police Contributes to Worse Physical and Emotional Quality of Life in Black Americans After Traumatic Injury

“…In line with this generalization of mistrust, patients are more likely to intentionally minimize symptoms and withhold information from medical providers out of concern information will be shared with law enforcement [ 33 ]. Further, traumatic injury can contribute to increase risk of future policing and incarceration, all of which have been shown to exacerbate racial health disparities [ 36 ].…”