Showing posts with label black health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black health. Show all posts

Sunday, October 02, 2022

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, how us brothas can do our part to help Black women.

It's October which means that it's also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know that while Black women are less likely to get Breast Cancer, they are more likely to to die from it?

That's why us men should step in and constantly remind (nag) them about getting a mammogram as early detection saves lives!

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Cancer deaths among African Americans drop

Cancer death rates have steadily declined among Black people but remain higher than in other racial and ethnic groups, a new U.S. government study shows.

Cancer deaths have been dropping for all Americans for the past two decades because of lower smoking rates and advances in early detection and treatment.

The rates among Black people fell 2% each year from 1999 to 2019, from 359 cancer deaths per 100,000 to 239 deaths per 100,000, according to the report published online in JAMA Oncology.

In 2019, the highest cancer death rates were in Black men — 294 deaths per 100,000 — almost double the lowest rate in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The rate for white men was 249 deaths per 100,000. For Hispanic men, it was 177 deaths per 100,000 and 255 deaths per 100,000 among Native American men.

An earlier report from the American Cancer Society found the racial gap was narrowing, mostly because of a bigger decline in cigarette smoking among Black people.

In the new study, based on an analysis of death certificates, deaths from most cancers dropped in Black men and women. The biggest declines were in lung cancer among Black men and stomach cancer in Black women. Both are linked with declines in smoking, which contributes to many other cancers.

The persistently higher death rate among Black Americans remains a concern, and likely reflects social and economic disparities including poverty, less access to care and mistrust of doctors, said National Cancer Institute researcher Wayne Lawrence, who led the study.

“It’s showing that we can’t simply rely on medical care as a way to address and eliminate the disparities,’’ said Carla Williams, a Howard University expert in cancer-related health disparities, who had no role in the research.

Cancer prevention expert Dr. Otis Brawley of Johns Hopkins University noted that other data show Black Americans get worse cancer care than white people. That’s in part because they’re more likely to be treated at hospitals with overworked doctors and fewer resources, and less likely to have a college degree, he said.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

An interview with Dr. Fitzhugh, a Black doctor who took the Covid-19 vaccine

Hello, this is George Cook and I am a councilman in Hillside NJ. I know that many, especially those in the African American Community have questions about the safety of Covid-19 vaccines and have many doubts about taking it. To be honest, so do I.

I reached out to Dr. Valerie Fitzhugh of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School after reading an article in which she volunteered for a covid-19 trial study in an effort to show others that a vaccine would be safe. Dr. Fitzhugh, who has also appeared on MSNBC graciously accepted my offer to do a Zoom Meeting and to answer resident’s questions about Covid-19 vaccinations.Many of the questions Dr. Fitzhugh answered may be questions you have, so check out the interview.

Valerie A. Fitzhugh is an American clinical pathologist and Associate Professor of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School as well as an Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Medical School. She is the Interim Chair of the Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers and the Interim Chair at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as well. Fitzhugh is also the Chair and Medical Director of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Clara Maass Medical Center.

Sunday, August 02, 2020

Kamala Harris Introduces Legislation to Support Uterine Fibroids Research and Education




WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Thursday introduced the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act, legislation to initiate crucial research and education in relation to uterine fibroids and ensure women get the information and care they need. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-11) introduced this legislation in the House of Representatives.
“Millions of women across the country are affected by uterine fibroids, which can present serious health complications,” said Senator Harris. “Complications from uterine fibroids can lead to maternal mortality and morbidity, an ongoing crisis especially for Black women. We have an opportunity to change that with the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act. I’m proud to work with Congresswoman Clarke to ensure that women get the care, support, and knowledge they need.”
“This bill is an important first step towards making women’s healthcare a priority by addressing uterine fibroids. Many women who suffer from uterine fibroids have their condition go undiagnosed as a result of a lack of education about the disease. Each year, approximately 7 million women in the U.S. suffer the symptoms of fibroids and an estimated 330,000 symptomatic women reside in New York. This disease has ravaged the lives of women across the country, and increasing funding for research and public education related to fibroids is critical to reversing that trend. If we are serious about fixing inequities in our healthcare system, then we must treat uterine fibroids with the funding and attention it deserves,” said Congresswoman Clarke.
Uterine fibroids affect an estimated 26 million women between the ages of 15 and 50, across all racial backgrounds and socioeconomic levels in the United States. While this issue affects women across all racial backgrounds, Black women develop uterine fibroids earlier, have larger and a greater number of fibroids, and are three times more likely than white women to be hospitalized for uterine fibroids. Also, more than 80% of Black women and about 70% of white women develop fibroids by the time they reach menopause. Further, they are the leading cause for hysterectomy: 22% of Black women and 7% of white women with uterine fibroids have hysterectomies as a result of the condition.
Despite being the most common gynecological condition, there is a lack of awareness and prioritization about uterine fibroids as an important health issue. Some women who experience uterine fibroids have no symptoms; however, those that do experience: severe pelvic pain, iron-deficiency, anemia, miscarriages, infertility, and heavy bleeding. Building awareness around uterine fibroids is not only a health equity issue, but an economic imperative. Uterine fibroids cost our health care system an estimated $9.4 billion annually.
The Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act would:
  • Provide $30 million annually for FY21-FY25 to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand research on uterine fibroids.
  • Direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand the Chronic Conditions Warehouse research database to include data on the services provided to women who experience symptoms of uterine fibroids.
  • Create a uterine fibroids public education program through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to disseminate information on the incidence and prevalence of uterine fibroids among women—including the elevated risk for women of color—and the available treatment options.
  • Direct the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in consultation with medical societies, to develop and disseminate information regarding uterine fibroids to health care providers, including the elevated risk for women of color to develop uterine fibroids and the available treatment options.
In addition to Harris and Clarke, this legislation is co-sponsored in the Senate by Senators Van Hollen (D-MD) and Booker (D-NJ) .
This bill is supported by: Black Women’s Health Imperative, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Sexual Health Association, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, CARE About Fibroids, HealthyWomen, National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health, National Black Nurses Association, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Medical Association, National Organization of Black Elected Women (NOBEL Women), Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, Society for Women’s Health Research, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), The Fibroid Foundation, and The White Dress Project.
“There is a vital need for more research to be done regarding Uterine Fibroids and the burden placed on various racial and ethnic groups. We also need to collect data to develop more effective interventions and evaluate therapies, especially among black women who are disproportionately and more severely impacted by uterine fibroids. That is why the Black Women’s Health Imperative supports the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act introduced by the Senator Kamala Harris. This legislation will increase NIH funding focused on Uterine Fibroids research and lead to a new evidence base for treatment and cure for women of color,” said Linda Goler Blount, President and CEO of Black Women’s Health Imperative.
“For far too long, we have simply accepted the unknowns about uterine fibroids when in reality, those unknowns represent a gap in research,” said Tanika Gray Valbrun, founder of The White Dress Project. “We’re grateful to Senator Harris for making uterine fibroids research a priority.” 
“One in three women have been silently coping with debilitating, sometimes life-threatening uterine fibroid complications for far too long. This Bill will provide vital research and education to move us closer to ending this suffering, and will provide women with a better quality of life,” said Sateria Venable, Founder & CEO, The Fibroid Foundation.
“NHMA strongly supports the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act because it will create needed research and education needed for us to better understand uterine fibroids and ensure that minority women can get information and care that they need for this condition,” said Elena Rios, MD, MSPH, FACP, President & CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association.
Dr. Martha A. Dawson, RN, FACHE, President of the National Black Nurses Association said, “Uterine fibroid can have a significant impact on the quality of life for females suffering from this condition. She noted that both ‘physical and mental pain’ are results of this sometimes debilitating condition that impact women’s ability to work, gain promotion, and perform simple activities of daily family life. This bill is needed to help relieve the burden of women suffering from this disease.”
“Even as millions of American women suffer from debilitating fibroids, public awareness and research funding for this disease remains startlingly low. SWHR applauds Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) on her introduction of the Uterine Fibroids Research and Education Act, which will expand federal research efforts and bring much needed attention to this overlooked disease. Greater public awareness of fibroids will spark essential conversations among women, their families, and their health care providers about menstrual conditions, which are often stigmatized and dismissed by society. Increased funding for fibroids research is crucial to discovering better treatment options for women with this disease. We are hopeful that this bill will help prioritize uterine fibroids as a critical women’s health issue,” said Kathryn Schubert, MPP, President & CEO, Society for Women’s Health Research.
“For the millions of women struggling with symptomatic fibroids, this is an important step toward highlighting a condition that has been in the shadows for far too long. Our mothers, sisters and friends, especially women of color, have suffered in silence from the debilitating impact of this condition that has received too little attention and too few research dollars from the federal government. We are deeply grateful for Sen. Harris’s action to step up and be a champion for women with fibroids,” said Jenny Rosenberg, Executive Director, CARE About Fibroids.
The Uterine Fibroids Research and Education Act can be read HERE.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council sues FDA for inaction on banning menthol cigarettes

Today, The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) held a virtual press conference announcing their joint complaint against the FDA, represented by Pollock Cohen, LLP. The complaint requests the court compel the FDA to fulfill its mandate to take action on FDA's own conclusions that it would benefit the public health to add menthol to the list of prohibited characterizing flavors and therefore ban it from sale.

"We stand before you today to announce that we are suing the United States Food and Drug Administration for their failure to implement public health policy that protects the health and welfare of African Americans with respect to menthol cigarettes," said Carol McGruder, founding member and co-chair of the AATCLC.

This lawsuit brings to the forefront the lack of action from the FDA to fulfill its mandate concerning whether menthol products should be taken off the shelves. In 2009, Congress passed—and President Obama signed into law—the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The act created a flavor ban in cigarettes but excluded menthol, subject to further research. In 2011, the FDA's Advisory Committee concluded that the "Removal of menthol cigarettes from the marketplace would benefit public health in the United States."

Despite this conclusion, the FDA has not begun the rulemaking process of removing menthol from combustible cigarettes. The plaintiffs are asking the court to direct the FDA to take action.

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, smoking-related illnesses are the number one cause of death in the African American community, and 85 percent of African American smokers smoke menthol cigarettes.

"By continuing to delay, the FDA and the U.S. government are failing to protect the health of U.S. citizens, particularly African Americans, and the U.S. is also falling behind the global trend as countries around the world are increasingly banning menthol," said Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, managing attorney at ASH.

Our nation finds itself at a moment in time when action to eradicate systemic inequities and racism is crucial to fighting injustice, and this case is a perfect example of action which will elicit positive change. It is no coincidence that the timing of the announcement falls two days before the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, the day slaves in Texas finally heard they had been freed. Juneteenth has become a day in the Black community to celebrate the sacrifices that it took to free African Americans from slavery.

"Now is the time for the FDA to step up to the plate and do what it was supposed to do years ago – prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products," said Dr. Phillip Gardiner, founding member and co-chair of AATCLC.

Sunday, October 15, 2017

North Carolina Central University Awarded $16.3 Million by National Institute of Health

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has been awarded $16.3 million by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for a new Research Center in Minority Institutions (RCMI) focusing on elevating the university’s health disparities research program. Led by Deepak Kumar, Ph.D., director of the Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute and principal investigator for the grant, the funding will support health disparities research activities across campus at NCCU.

NCCU is one of the seven minority-serving institutions that were recipients of this award. The research funding is the largest annual grant amount received for a non-Title III grant by NCCU and the largest funding for a single principal investigator on the campus.

The new RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research (RCHDR) will conduct three innovative basic biomedical and behavioral research projects, along with health disparities research pilot projects, involving robust mentoring, development of core facilities and leveraging of resources and partnerships with community-based organizations and neighboring institutions in the Research Triangle area. The center will also promote a collaborative research environment conducive to career enhancement for postdoctoral trainees and NCCU faculty at all levels.

“This major research grant will allow North Carolina Central University to engage in transformative research that examines health disparities and identifies real-world solutions that strengthen health care for minority populations throughout our state,” said University of North Carolina President Margaret Spellings. “Moreover, the establishment of the new Research Center in Minority Institutions supports our shared goal of enhancing research opportunities, which will ultimately improve the quality of life of our citizens and generate economic growth.

Johnson O. Akinleye, Ph.D., chancellor of NCCU, said, “The significant research funding provided by the National Institutes of Health elevates North Carolina Central University’s noteworthy work investigating solutions to some of the nation’s toughest health disparities that persist as challenges to communities of color. Through this grant, I am thrilled that Dr. Kumar and his team are already fulfilling three of the six strategic priorities represented in ‘The Eagle Promise’initiative, which focus on expanding research, facilitating innovative strategic partnerships with the Research Triangle Park and building new infrastructure for the university.”

The mission of NCCU’s Research Center in Minority Institutions is to develop and strengthen the research infrastructure at NCCU for conducting cutting-edge health disparities research and to foster the next generation of minority biomedical researchers. It has three main objectives: 1) enhance the research capacity at NCCU within the areas of basic, behavioral and translational biomedical research; 2) diversify the biomedical research workforce and to prepare researchers who are successful extramurally funded health disparities investigators and 3) promote a collaborative environment for interdisciplinary research and establish sustainable relationships with neighboring research and community-based organizations to advance cutting-edge health disparities research at NCCU. The core of the research center will focus on: African-American men, stress, kidney and cardiometabolic disease; breast cancer disparities and metabolic stress; diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome; community engagement and pilot projects and mentoring.

“NCCU demonstrated its commitment to biomedical research by creating two biotechnology research institutes, BBRI and BRITE,” stated Kumar. “We are grateful to NIH/NIMHD for providing NCCU with this unprecedented opportunity to further enhance biomedical research by developing infrastructure, preparing the next generation of minority researchers and bringing faculty together in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research projects to advance our mission of addressing health disparities. The grant will foster collaborations and leverage resources from research and community-based organizations from the Research Triangle area and in North Carolina. This is a team effort across campus that will impact five NCCU colleges and schools, along with BBRI and BRITE. I am excited about Chancellor Akinleye’s ‘The Eagle Promise’ initiative and am grateful for his support and vision.”

In a press release announcing the award, NIMHD Director, Dr. Eliseo PĂ©rez-Stable said: “Institutions with historical commitment to diversity are essential to supporting scientific research and providing healthcare to underserved communities. These institutions are uniquely positioned to engage minority populations in research, and in the translation of research advances into culturally competent, measurable and sustained improvements in health outcomes.”

Sunday, May 07, 2017

Black men, get screened for Prostate Cancer

An important message to black men on the importance of getting screened for Prostate Cancer.

Monday, October 05, 2015

Alarming Facts About African American Women and Breast Cancer

Did you know breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among black women?

Although breast cancer is diagnosed more often for white women, African American women are more likely to die of breast cancer, according to a recent study by the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Specifically, in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African American women than white women.

Here are a few more facts about breast cancer and the action you can take today:

In 2015 alone, an estimated 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed, along with 60,290 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer, according to SusanGKomen.org. Many studies indicate these decreases are due to the result of earlier detection through screening, treatment advancements, and increased awareness.

The breast cancer death rate for women aged 45–64 years was 60% higher for black women than white women, according to the CDC National Vital Statistics System.

The median age at diagnosis in African American women is 54 years, compared with a median age of 58 years in white women.

Read more: Alarming Facts About African American Women and Breast Cancer

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Decline in Black Male Physicians Could Impact African American Health

his op-ed post was written by Patricia A. Maryland, Ph.D.

A recent study by the Association of American Medical Colleges shows that the number of African American men applying to medical school is in steady decline. As the nation’s population becomes more ethnically diverse, this issue is not just about diversity for diversity’s sake. This decline in black male physicians could have a negative impact on health and wellness in underserved communities as well as on general access to care.

As the chief operating officer of Ascension Health—the healthcare subsidiary of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system—I am very focused on our organization’s delivering personalized and compassionate care, particularly in low- to moderate-income communities where healthcare challenges are greatest. Physicians of color, who can knowledgeably treat patients based on a shared heritage and cultural awareness, are at a premium.

To be clear, the issue here is not race as much as it is personal affinity that provides a sense of understanding for a patient. In fact, whether the commonality is culture, race, language, or gender, research shows that patients respond to physicians with whom they feel a kinship.

This notion of affinity or kinship is important as studies show that black doctors are usually more willing to return to underserved communities of color to offer care. This not only provides them with a sense of mission and higher purpose, it also contributes to the overall well-being of the patients they serve. These patients are more comfortable with the doctor because they believe that the person caring for them shares a cultural bond. This allows for ease in building trust and, hopefully, greater candor in discussing ailments which may allow the doctor to better assess and treat a patient.

Read more; Decline in Black Male Physicians Could Impact African American Health