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Section: Disparities

Therapy Dogs Carry Infection Risks, Hospital Finds

NEW YORK — Therapy dogs can bring more than joy and comfort to hospitalized kids. They can also bring stubborn germs. Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore were suspicious that the dogs might pose an infection risk to patients with weakened immune systems. So they conducted some tests when Pippi, Poppy, Badger and Winnie […]

October 10, 2018

Even With More Markets, Food Deserts Persist in Chicago

Improving food access in “food desert” communities is a stated priority of the City of Chicago. Over the past few years, City-led initiatives promoted new store openings in high need areas, such as the Whole Foods in Englewood. Most, but not all, of the Dominick’s stores that closed in 2013 have reopened under new banners. […]

October 10, 2018

Morehouse Med School Fights Cancer with Research

Some of the highest cancer morbidity and mortality rates in United States exist in Georgia, according to American Cancer Society. Racial and ethnic cancer health disparities undermine our communities and our health care system. African Americans are more likely to suffer from cancer health inequities and get sicker, develop complications, and die from cancer, than […]

October 8, 2018

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Study Underscores Link between Poor Diet, Hypertension

New findings suggest that diet is a major contributor for the increased risk of hypertension in black compared to white Americans. The results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are part of the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, which looks at the incidence of stroke in approximately […]

October 8, 2018

Study: 1 in 3 American Adults Eat Fast Food Daily

NEW YORK — A government study has found that 1 in 3 U.S. adults eat fast food on any given day. That’s about 85 million people. It’s the first federal study to look at how often adults eat fast food. An earlier study found a similar proportion of children and adolescents ate it on any […]

October 8, 2018

3 Inmates Hospitalized, 1 Dead In Meningitis Outbreak

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Public health and corrections officials are responding to an illness outbreak at an Alabama prison that left one inmate dead. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported a pneumococcal disease outbreak at the Ventress Correctional Facility in Barbour County. Three inmates were hospitalized, and one inmate died after developing meningitis. Health officials […]

October 2, 2018

Contraception ‘Deserts’ Widen under Trump Policy

When Nikia Jackson needed to be screened for a sexually transmitted disease, she wanted a clinic that was reputable, quick and inexpensive. After searching online, Jackson, 23, ended up at the Obria Medical Clinics’ sparkling new facility in an office park in suburban Atlanta. She was unaware that the clinic does not offer condoms or […]

October 2, 2018

Bill Addresses Racial Disparities in Maternal Deaths

A piece of legislation before the U.S. Senate would aim to address racial disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity. Senators Tim Kaine and Kamala D. Harris introduced the Maternal care Access and Reducing Emergencies Act. According to a release, the United States is one of only 13 countries in the world where the rate of […]

October 2, 2018

Complaint Alleges Racial Bias in Failure to Address Sewage Risk

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An advocacy group claims Alabama health officials are discriminating against residents of a poor, mostly black county by failing to address sanitation problems that led to an outbreak of a parasite most common in underdeveloped countries. San Francisco-based Earthjustice said it filed a civil rights complaint with the federal government on behalf […]

October 2, 2018

Study: Minority Medical Residents Routinely Face Racism

(Reuters Health) – Minority doctors in training routinely deal with bias, sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle, a new study suggests. Researchers found that resident physicians from racial and ethnic minorities face a daily barrage of microaggressions as well as overt prejudice, according to the study published in JAMA Network Open. Read More

October 2, 2018

Humana Gives U.H. $15M for Medical School

A local public university has partnered with a national health insurance company to advance public health and the school’s health care courses. Louisville, Kentucky-based Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) will donate $15 million over 10 years to create the Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute at the University of Houston, which will include the colleges of […]

October 1, 2018

Retirement Community Resident in D.C. Has Legionnaires’

A resident of a Northwest D.C. retirement community has been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, prompting concern that other residents could be at risk of contracting a dangerous, pneumonia-causing bacteria that can spread through a building’s plumbing. Residents of three buildings in the Ingleside at Rock Creek senior community on Military Road were instructed to take […]

October 1, 2018

Legionnaires Disease

Hispanic Physicians Oppose Change to Immigration Policy

The National Hispanic Medical Association, representing 50,000 Hispanic physicians, strongly opposes the Public Charge Proposal that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on September 22, 2018. “The proposed rule change would greatly undermine achievements made in access to prevention and medical care for Latino legal immigrants by limiting nutrition, health care, and medications and […]

October 1, 2018

Why America Faces a Doctor Shortage

For more than 75 years, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), a joint venture of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), has been tasked with maintaining excellence in American medical education by accrediting all medical schools in the U.S. and Canada. At first glance, LCME seems like […]

October 1, 2018

Children With Food Insecurity at Risk for Hypertension

Kids with food insecurity, meaning they lack good access to nutritional foods, were more likely to have high blood pressure than kids with secure access to food, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association’s Joint Hypertension 2018 Scientific Sessions. “High blood pressure—even in childhood—matters,” said study author Andrew Michael South, MD, assistant […]

September 24, 2018

Maternal Death Rate Down in California; Racial Disparities Remain

After the launch of an initiative to reduce maternal mortality in California, which focused on preventing death caused by hemorrhage and preeclampsia, the maternal death rate fell from an average of 13.1 per 100,000 live births from 2005 to 2009 to 7.0 between 2011 and 2013, according to new research in Health Affairs. Though maternal […]

September 19, 2018

Cola-Cola Interested in Cannabis for Wellness Drinks

The Coca-Cola Company said Monday it is “closely watching” the expanding use of a cannabis element in drinks, another sign cannabis and cannabis-infused products are getting more acceptance in mainstream culture and a harder look from long-established pillars of American business. The statement came after reports the beverage giant was in talks with a Canadian […]

September 19, 2018

Study Finds Vivid Memories Linger Long after Sexual Assault

Women who experience sexual assault have more vivid memories than women coping with the aftermath of other traumatic, life-altering events, according to a new study. The research finds that women who experience sexual violence, including those never diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, have more intense memories—even decades after the violence occurred—that are difficult, if not […]

September 19, 2018