INTERVIEW WITH
DR. RAHN BAILEY( continued)
ongoing dialogue that might bring about real change. The whole discussion of defunding the police is something I really believe in. Defunding the police does not mean providing less support; but such activities as selling military equipment to a local police department that is utilized particularly in inner city ethnic minority-based communities is at issue.
I have a son in the military, so I know what the military signifies. It is an aggressive / offensive force trained to kill and destroy. The police should be a peace keeping force, and defunding the police is a term used to reach this objective. This reallocation offers the prospect of funding for more socially supportive services, like psychiatry. When someone calls for help to the police, they do not always require an officer with a gun. A lot of times it is just to quell non-violent disputes. In my experience as a psychiatrist, all too often there is miscommunication which leads to poor outcomes, due to fast speech, and language difficulties.
How did your writing interest develop? Were you drawn to it prior to becoming a psychiatrist? Have you published in other genres besides medicine?
When you begin writing it can be challenging. You get rejections or negative obstacles that get in the way. It is a work in progress. If you look at my CV, I have over 50 publications, but 200-300 presentations. This is because it is easier to give a lecture orally than to get a paper published in a peer-reviewed journal. All coming full circle, I have written three books now.
I wrote a book in 2013 on health disparities, in 2018 on gun violence, and I have one coming out this December on domestic violence. One thing I’ ve learned about writing is that it is much better to do it as a team. I believe writing on these issues allows me to inform a substantial number of people that can bring about change and lead to better outcomes of some of the problems our society faces.
You wrote“ A Doctor’ s Prescription for Healthcare Reform” in 2013 early in the second term of President Obama’ s administration. Have any of the reforms that you advocated been enacted over this time?
My book advocated for the American Care Act, it included metrics for quality provision to allow for better psychiatric care. Many of the items in the book that were debated extensively have been implemented. At times politics has raised its head and acts as an obstacle.
Most people agree on the tenets of the ACA, for example if you change jobs that you should not lose your health insurance. One of the most important parts of the book is giving statistics of quality of healthcare. For example, which doctor has the best length of stay. Which hospital have the least nosocomial infections. Which surgeons have the best post-op rates. This data allows for the public to have more confidence in the ACA.
Why did you write“ At Gunpoint?”
All too often, specialists in healthcare like psychiatrists, public health specialists, are typically not having a voice in the conversation regarding gun violence and its impact on this country. Usually this is done by non-physician / nonprofessionals who are giving opinions without facts. So, this was my attempt to write a book that was heavily embedded with hard data. The suggestions given based on this data was non-emotional and not based on a right, but rather facts. Most of the arguments from the other side is the belief of safety and protection. According to the research, I found this to be an erroneous belief.
If you possess a gun in the home, you are more likely to die from it than anyone else. It is more likely that someone you know will die from the gun than someone you don’ t know like an intruder. It is human nature at times to be volatile, which backs the case to not have a deadly weapon readily available. In our country there is too much access to guns, people use them impulsively, and usually are not trained. So, my hope is this book will provide some level of balance in the conversation.
What’ s the title and subject matter of you new book? When will it be available?
The title of the new book is Intimate Partner Violence and it will be available in December. This book covers not only spousal violence in great detail but other forms of violence that society might be unaware of. Teen violence, violence in specific communities, at the workplace, as well as the associated legal issues. This book will hopefully help individuals that might know someone or help those who are suffering from this type of violence themselves. Giving a direction / strategy of how to go about it as most times this issue isn’ t voiced enough. The victims continue to undergo mistreatment for long periods of time leading to a variety of mental health issues.
CDU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | PG. 07