Framework for Ethical Community Engagement (ECE) with Underserved Populations in the Rural South: A Help for Bioethics and Healthcare Promotion

Mainstream bioethics has dealt inadequately with issues of race, gender, and class that intersect and shape the life experiences of vulnerable populations in the U.S., such as Black women in the rural South who have faced bioethical and public health challenges throughout U.S. history. They have suffered from health disparities, challenges to their autonomy, inadequate access to quality health care, biomedical violations, and a healthcare system that has implicit bias and discrimination. Thus, we propose a framework for biomedical and behavioral researchers and organizations who seek to engage, ethically, such vulnerable communities. The goal of this Ethical Community Engagement (ECE) framework is to empower communities, respect autonomy, and address needs of populations that suffer from health disparities. The Tuskegee/Macon County Diabetes Coalition, formed to coordinate and share information promoting healthy living and habits among citizens of this area, is a demonstration of this ECE framework.