Health Disparities News and Research

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Health disparities (also called healthcare inequality in some countries) refer to gaps in the quality of health and health care across racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and socioeconomic groups.

Study: Racial inequalities in health care

The Joint Center's Health Policy Institute will unveil a study that estimates the direct medical costs of racial inequalities in health status and access to quality care.

14 Sep 2009

RWJF selects Regions Hospital to take part in its effort to improve cardiac care delivered in hospitals

MN Community Measurement today announced that Regions Hospital has been selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to participate in a new effort to improve the quality -- and equality -- of cardiac care delivered in hospitals. The Aligning Forces for Quality: Equity Quality Improvement Collaborative (Equity QI Collaborative) will identify and test ways for hospitals to improve the quality and efficiency of their cardiac care, while also identifying and reducing any racial and ethnic disparities.

11 Sep 2009

Obesity experts call on policymakers to adopt obesity recommendations

The Obesity Society and other steering committee members of the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, and two former US Surgeons General, join together today to develop effective recommendations to urge policymakers to act on the inclusion of obesity as the largest and most urgent driving factor in healthcare reform.

10 Sep 2009

New protein fragments identified for anthrax vaccine development

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified two small protein fragments that could be developed into an anthrax vaccine that may cause fewer side effects than the current vaccine.

4 Sep 2009

Mistrust of healthcare system could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs

Mistrust among patients, providers and insurers could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs, reports a new study.

2 Sep 2009

Report from health experts recommends several strategies to reduce childhood obesity

Zoning restrictions on fast-food restaurants near schools and playgrounds, community policing to improve safety around public recreational sites, requirements that publicly run after-school programs limit video game and TV time, and taxes on high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks are some of the strategies local government officials can use to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic in their communities, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council.

2 Sep 2009

Statistics reveals that blacks experience higher rates of pancreatic cancer deaths than whites

Regardless of risk factors linked to pancreatic cancer, such as smoking and body mass index (BMI), blacks experienced higher rates of pancreatic cancer death than whites.

2 Sep 2009

Mistrust in health care system could impact patients' health and health care costs

Mistrust among patients, providers and insurers could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs, reports a new study.

1 Sep 2009

Albert Einstein College of Medicine receives $11.2 million NIH grant to study genes associated with longevity

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $11.2 million grant to study the impact of damage to DNA on aging and disease. Research funded by this grant, and conducted by a consortium of scientists, could reveal the role of genome maintenance systems in delaying aging and will begin to explore novel interventions to maintain health in old age.

28 Aug 2009

Thickening of neck arteries in healthy middle-aged women with feelings of hopelessness

Healthy middle-aged women with feelings of hopelessness appear to experience thickening of the neck arteries, which can be a precursor to stroke, according to new research out of the University of Minnesota Medical School.

27 Aug 2009

Concussions could result in permanent brain impairment

Concussions, whether from an accident, sporting event, or combat, can lead to permanent loss of higher level mental processes. Scientists have debated for centuries whether concussions involve structural damage to brain tissue or whether physiological changes that merely impair the way brain cells function, explain this loss.

24 Aug 2009

The California Chronic Care Coalition launches new website to share information on chronic conditions

The California Chronic Care Coalition (CCCC) continues to advance its work toward meaningful and responsible health care reform with the launching of its consumer website: www.chroniccareca.org. Designed to help build a healthier California, the website is aimed at the more than 16 million Californians with chronic conditions such as Asthma, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s Heart disease, Epilepsy and Multiple Sclerosis.

24 Aug 2009

The Gerontologist discusses perceptions of different groups about cognitive health

A new special issue of The Gerontologist has identified for the first time how ethnically, culturally, linguistically, and geographically diverse groups think about aging and brain health.

21 Aug 2009

Intracacies of doctors' fees difficult to unravel

"For the most part, doctor fees are a mystery. If people see a doctor who is part of their insurance network, they are responsible only for deductibles and co-payments, and the price the health insurer pays is often a secret," The New York Times reports. "And if people see a doctor outside their network, they usually have no idea what the charge will be - even though they are responsible for most of it - until the bill comes."

19 Aug 2009

Improving the health and well-being of U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teens

Research indicates that the social stigma that surrounds lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) teens leads to a variety of health risks such as substance use, risky sexual behaviors, eating disorders, suicidal ideation, and victimization.

19 Aug 2009

Obama calls for veterans' health care expansion

President Obama Monday included health care in a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars' national convention Monday, The Arizona Republic reports.

19 Aug 2009

Florida’s health centers filling critical gaps

Since its establishment, National Health Center Week has celebrated the work of community health centers that provide health services to the working poor, the uninsured, the medically underserved, and many high risk and vulnerable populations. This year’s National Health Center Week takes place from August 9 – 15.

13 Aug 2009

African American groups call on health insurers to dismiss restrictive practices

To protect the health of African Americans in Maryland, the Black Nurses Association of Baltimore and the Greater Baltimore Urban League have joined together to support a National Health Insurer Code of Conduct from the American Medical Association.

13 Aug 2009

Britons getting irritated by health-reform rhetoric

U.S. health care reform efforts garner attention and reaction from around the globe especially from Britain.

13 Aug 2009

Building a comprehensive child vision care system

Even though universal comprehensive eye exams for children prior to starting school would result in more children being diagnosed and successfully treated for vision problems and eye diseases, requirements vary widely from state to state and only three states require eye examinations for school-age children, according to a new report from the National Commission on Vision and Health.

13 Aug 2009

Health Disparities News and Research

Further Reading

Study: Racial inequalities in health care

RWJF selects Regions Hospital to take part in its effort to improve cardiac care delivered in hospitals

Obesity experts call on policymakers to adopt obesity recommendations

New protein fragments identified for anthrax vaccine development

Mistrust of healthcare system could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs

Report from health experts recommends several strategies to reduce childhood obesity

Statistics reveals that blacks experience higher rates of pancreatic cancer deaths than whites

Mistrust in health care system could impact patients' health and health care costs

Albert Einstein College of Medicine receives $11.2 million NIH grant to study genes associated with longevity

Thickening of neck arteries in healthy middle-aged women with feelings of hopelessness

Concussions could result in permanent brain impairment

The California Chronic Care Coalition launches new website to share information on chronic conditions

The Gerontologist discusses perceptions of different groups about cognitive health

Intracacies of doctors' fees difficult to unravel

Improving the health and well-being of U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teens

Obama calls for veterans' health care expansion

Florida’s health centers filling critical gaps

African American groups call on health insurers to dismiss restrictive practices

Britons getting irritated by health-reform rhetoric

Building a comprehensive child vision care system

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