Immortal life Henrietta Lacks

Religion in modern medicine 

I think there is a big place for religion in the modern medicine. From the perspective of the physicians, they have the responsibility to love and engage with the patients, especially when they are sick and susceptible. The role of the physician would be to offer care and be compassionate to the patient, which is also a function of religion. The patient also could believe something, but as an allowance of their religion is permitted, the overriding principle and priority is his or her health and person. The patient's requests and spiritual standing may not be judged, but the clinician my find a way fit to care for the patient in respect to the health, such as in the case of Deborah Lacks ( Skloot, 2017) . Religion particularly Christianity has worked in many cases, which could be through the treatment offered to the patient. In fact, some health institutions acknowledge and say: they treat, but God heals. That implies that the doctors are conscious that whatever they do, there is a power that works behind it to make it successful. 

Deborah's faith healing experience 

Deborah had been determined to research, see her mother's cells and have questions related to the mother answered. Her discoveries are what affected her health together with the cousin’s health. Because of what had happened to her mother and younger sister Elsie, the emotional impact in her life worried her ( Skloot, 2017) . The church was the best place Deborah could have been because she would find consolation and a perspective about God to forgive all these wicked acts. It would not have been normally simple for her to forgive and forget, especially for the fact that her mother's privacy and patient rights were neglected and the family was put to a panic mode when they were tested without information. With these unanswered questions of racism and greed expressed by the doctors, a faith healing experience is what would bring sanity to a person. Someone would only trust in a supernatural being that knows beyond what we can conceive and has our best interests at heart. 

State mental (behavioral health) hospitals existence 

State mental (behavioral health) hospitals is still a good idea today. A few people have serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and they may not be able to communicate to their family their situations. As such, many health issues like obesity and heart diseases may never be treated in the mentally ill persons, which could lead to their premature demise. In fact, according to statistics, the mentally ill individuals are more probably to be jailed than being taken to the health facilities. These jails are not just fit for the mentally ill persons. Mental health centers would, therefore, be fundamental to offer space of safety and sanctuary for the mentally ill persons. Few families with people with mental illness cases have plans for the care of these people beyond what they can provide them. Therefore, the existence of a mental health will also be a surety of getting a caregiver that will sort our serious mental illnesses presented by a person. 

Most important thing you learned from the book Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 

The most important think learnt from the book Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is that patient's confidentiality and information is very crucial. Lacks did not give any one the permission to take and use her cells. The physicians and scientists deliberately disregarded telling Lack's family about the study they were doing using Henrietta's cells ( Skloot, 2017) . There should be informed consent laws that would shield the patients from unauthorized tissue collection. Such systems that do not seek the permission of the patients in performing some tests are threatening the privacy of these patients; when their medical records are supposed even to be handed over to them. I have also learnt that patients and their family requires information. For instance, it was actually appropriate to inform Henrietta's children of the reason why their blood was drawn by the physicians. In fact, without this explanation, they thought that they were being tested for cancer that killed their mother. This was actually a lie by omission that made Henrietta's children to be worried unnecessarily about themselves. They were never told about the results of the "cancer test" because that was not what was being tested in the first place. Therefore, it is just proper to keep the genetic information about patients private as well as inform them of anything being done to their bodies or loved ones or information regarding them. 

Reference 

Skloot, R. (2017).  The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks . Broadway Books.