Feature Channels: Health Disparities

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People with epilepsy living in disadvantaged neighborhoods—areas with higher poverty levels and fewer educational and employment opportunities— may be more likely to have memory, thinking, and mental health problems compared to people with epilepsy living in neighborhoods with fewer disadvantages, according to new research published in the April 19, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that living in disadvantaged neighborhoods causes memory and mental health problems. It only shows an association.

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Black and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients with peripheral arterial disease have more severe symptoms before bypass surgery – and are at greater risk for amputation and other complications after the procedure, a new study shows. Researchers say health care providers need to recognize the vulnerability of certain subgroups to adverse outcomes and be on alert for early signs and symptoms of PAD to manage patients accordingly.

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Since the Spanish Language Clinic began in April 2022, more than 160 patients have signed up with the clinic, which specifically treats Spanish-speaking patients on Tuesdays and Fridays, said Samantha Mok, transplant outreach coordinator at UI Health.

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Vitamin D deficiency could be the reason African American men experience more aggressive prostate cancer at a younger age compared with European American men, new research from Cedars-Sinai Cancer suggests.

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Eleven California State Universities were recently awarded a combined $35 million to increase the state's supply of staff trained to provide behavioral health care.

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While Keneene Lewis of Atlanta was undergoing chemotherapy in 2019, bill collectors were calling her home. Today, she encourages those she meets to speak up and advocate for themselves. Plus, new FDA guidance on the risk factors of dense breasts, and the petition demanding equitable access to DIEP flap breast reconstruction.

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Historically oppressed communities are faced with compounded health, economic and social injustices – with climate change making them worse.

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The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the NCCN Foundation announce four winners for the 2023 NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards. These annual awards honor up-and-coming leaders in oncology research working to investigate and advance cancer care.

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Below are some of the latest headlines in the new Avian Flu channel on Newswise.

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The MSRC, located just outside El Paso city limits in the Sparks colonia, provides diagnostic, preventive and educational care to area residents. Located far from El Paso’s urban center, colonias are underserved neighborhoods that often lack necessities such as paved roads, public transportation, or clean running water.

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The NCCN 2023 Annual Conference took place in-person in Orlando and virtually, with a particular focus on human connection. That connection was underscored with more than 2,000 registrants from across the continuum of cancer care, including approximately 1,000 who returned in-person for the first time since 2019. Educational sessions highlighted the importance of ensuring care meets the latest standards while also rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach.

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A Texas nonprofit clinic is collaborating with Saint Louis University's Paul C. Reinert, S.J., Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic, to help all residents of Missouri with Parkinson’s Disease access high-quality speech treatment.

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The American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) will honor two investigators from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for their research contributions. Melissa Hudson, M.D., director of the Cancer Survivorship Division and Jun J. Yang, Ph.D., vice-chair of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

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The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) honors Therese Richmond, PhD, RN, FAAN, with its 2023 Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award for a Distinguished Career.

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Transhealth CEO Dallas Ducar receives the AACN Pioneering Spirit Award for her efforts to expand access to gender-affirming primary care, mental health services and community healthcare.

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ANA past president Ernest Grant will receive the AACN Pioneering Spirit Award in recognition of his leadership and service to the nursing profession.

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The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) applauds the introduction of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure accountability and transparency in the U.S. transplant system by modernizing its underlying technology and policy infrastructure.

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Center to provide comprehensive patient navigation services and educational programming to southeast Washington, D.C., where these services have been historically lacking.

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Phyllis Nassi, a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and Cherokee Nation, is dedicated to providing cancer education to rural locations across the Mountain West. She was recently honored for her exceptional leadership.

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The Zero Health Gaps Pledge is part of the Global Health Equity Network (GHEN), which brings together key stakeholders from public and private sectors to advance a collective vision of Zero Health Gaps within the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Achieving Zero Health Gaps would mean that all individuals have the fair and just opportunity to fulfill their human potential in all aspects of health and well-being. By taking this pledge, Ochsner is declaring its commitment to meaningful action and collaboration toward health equity.

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Penn State College of Medicine researchers have found Black and Hispanic patients with severe allergies are less likely to get a common treatment, allergen immunotherapy, compared to white patients.

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A group of physicians and scientists with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine are releasing an important study that will be published in the journal Pediatrics on Thursday, showing that COVID-19 can cross into the placenta of pregnant women and cause brain injury in newborns, as evidenced with 2 cases they treated here in Miami. One of the infants also died at about 13 months old. Further testing of the infant’s brain specimen showed that the virus was still present in the brain at the time of death—which was over a year after birth.

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Susan G. Komen®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, applauds Representative Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth), Representative Mary Belk (D-Mecklenburg), Representative Donna McDowell White (R-Johnston) and Representative Becky Carney (D-Mecklenburg) for working with Komen to introduce legislation that would remove financial barriers to imaging that can rule out breast cancer or confirm the need for a biopsy. In 2023, more than 10,730 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 1,450 will die of the disease in North Carolina alone.

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The University of Chicago Medicine Kovler Diabetes Center raised more than $35,000 at its annual Salon Kovler event, which supports the health system's critical diabetes care and research initiatives that are focused on reducing healthcare disparities. The March 9 fundraiser and educational program at Navy Pier brought together community stakeholders, corporate leaders, and UChicago Medicine faculty and staff for a conversation about diabetes disparities and how to overcome them.

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A new survey of allergists/immunologists from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows that diagnosing, treating and managing hereditary angioedema can be challenging for patients and healthcare providers - including patients in rural areas. An article about the survey is published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, ACAAI’s scientific journal.

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Multiple studies have demonstrated that Black patients are significantly less likely than white patients to undergo invasive cardiovascular procedures. Prior research also has demonstrated substantial racial disparities in the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) that can be lifesaving for those at high risk for sudden cardiac death.

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The number of prostate cancer patients in the U.S. choosing active surveillance over surgery or radiation has rapidly increased since 2010, rising from 16% to 60% for low-risk patients and from 8% to 22% for patients with favorable-intermediate-risk cancers, according to a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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A roundup of the latest medical discoveries and faculty news happening at Cedars-Sinai in March 2023.

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New initiative looks to improve health care access across our Borderplex by helping prevent diabetes and empowering screened residents with appropriate resources. The program has been in operation since February 2023.

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The American Thoracic Society has issued an official statement for clinicians that explains why race and ethnicity should no longer be considered factors in interpreting the results of spirometry, the most commonly used type of pulmonary function test (PFT). The statement was endorsed by the European Respiratory Society. The full statement is available online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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With the aid of a near $3.2 million National Cancer Institute grant (R01CA277599) recently awarded, investigators from the state’s leading cancer program, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey,  and Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, both NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, will work to close racial disparity gaps in cancer care delivery by examining a novel approach to genetic testing and care based on community identified needs.

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Housed at the University of Chicago Medicine, the Bridging the Gap: Reducing Disparities in Diabetes Care Initiative has published the results of their five-year project aimed at addressing disparities in diabetes care nationwide.

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A new study from the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute found that only 1.8% of eligible Americans with commercial insurance received lung cancer screening. Rates were higher but still extremely low for Original Medicare (3.4%) and Medicare Advantage (4.6%). The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, determined 2017 screening rates for patients who were eligible for lung cancer screening by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), as determined United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines.

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Cedars-Sinai and BlackDoctor.org will host a virtual community conversation about the importance of increasing diverse representation in medical research.

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From septic shock to sticker shock. Keep up with this ever-growing, changing sector. Below are some of the latest stories on healthcare on Newswise.

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While the outpatient management of stroke survivors through telehealth is prone to multiple barriers, it offers many advantages for addressing health equity in stroke survivors, according to a review from UTHealth Houston.

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Surgeons can play a key role in reducing breast cancer disparities by increasing their awareness of where disparities exist.

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In an effort to improve understanding of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and interstitial lung disease (ILD), data from the PFF Registry is presenting researchers with opportunities to accelerate understanding of PF and ILD to improve patient outcomes.

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The breast tumors of Asian, Black and white women have very different cellular, microbial and genomic features that could potentially be used to personalize care or predict disease progression, according to new research by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

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A new study reported in JAMA Network Open unveils disparities in Mesothelioma survival, a grant to help construction workers nail quitting smoking, a new AI algorithm that offers insights into deadly cancer, a newly launched Neuroendocrine Tumors Program, a cancer researcher chosen to co-lead Tumor Biology Program and more are in this month’s tip sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.