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.

Persistence of sucking habits increases risk of speech disorders in preschool children

Pacifier, baby bottle or finger sucking may hamper a child's speech development if the habit goes on too long.

21 Oct 2009

Study reveals greater public support for reducing health care disparities among socio-economic groups

As Congress debates the public health care option, a recent study reveals greater public support for reducing health care disparities among socio-economic groups (i.e. by income or education) than among racial groups.

19 Oct 2009

"Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award" for Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente has been awarded the prestigious "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award" by the National Committee for Quality Assurance for efforts to reach across cultural and language barriers to provide health plan members with care that meets their unique needs.

13 Oct 2009

Health plans efforts to improve health care access to patients facing language barrier recognized by NCQA

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), with support from The California Endowment, has recognized five managed care plans for their innovative efforts to improve health care access and quality for consumers facing language and cultural barriers that frequently impede their access to life-prolonging care.

13 Oct 2009

PFCD releases the updated comparison of chronic care provisions contained within health reform bill

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today released an updated comparison of chronic care provisions contained within health reform legislation to reflect the amended Senate Finance Committee proposal. The amended "Chairman's Mark" includes numerous provisions to prevent and manage chronic disease, the top cost driver in health care, as do the two other major pieces of health reform legislation under consideration in Congress.

9 Oct 2009

New York Governor participates in roundtable discussion on stem cell research

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University hosted a roundtable discussion on stem cell research with New York Governor David A. Paterson today. Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean of Einstein, and eight stem cell researchers discussed advances in medical therapies and treatments that Einstein scientists have been investigating since receiving more than $14 million in State funding for stem cell research.

9 Oct 2009

University of Guam receives NIH grant to determine causes of cancer disparities

The University of Guam received an $8,000,000 five-year U-54 grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a strong national cancer program aimed at understanding the reasons behind significant cancer disparities and the impact on minority populations.

9 Oct 2009

RWJF presents 2009 Community Health Leaders Award to New York City ER doctor

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced its selection of Lynne Holden, M.D., co-founder and president of Mentoring in Medicine in New York City, to receive a Community Health Leaders Award.

8 Oct 2009

Morehouse School of Medicine to receive nearly $500,000 as grant from Kaiser Permanente Of Georgia

On Oct. 8, 2009, Kaiser Permanente of Georgia will present a grant for nearly $500,000 to the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine to support the development and implementation of a workforce leadership program that will reduce health disparities by creating an integrated approach to primary care and mental health.

8 Oct 2009

Report highlights rural health care challenges

"Rural residents have even more cause to support a public health insurance plan than those living in cities, advocates of such a plan said Thursday," The Omaha World-Herald reports. "The Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Neb., and the Center for Community Change issued a joint report highlighting the particular health care challenges faced by those living in rural parts of the country."

3 Oct 2009

HHS awards $2.1 million grant to Albert Einstein College to expand HCOE

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a three-year, $2.1 million grant to expand and enrich its Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE).

3 Oct 2009

$7.2 million grant awarded to develop microbicide-releasing vaginal ring

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a four-year, $7.2 million grant to develop a microbicide-releasing vaginal ring to prevent HIV transmission.

3 Oct 2009

NCD recommends health care reform for disabled people

The National Council on Disability (NCD) today released a report entitled The Current State of Health Care for People with Disabilities, calling for immediate health care reform for people with disabilities.

1 Oct 2009

Study reveals that most Americans will refuse FDA authorized emergency use H1N1 flu vaccine

A majority of Americans would not take an H1N1 flu vaccine or drug additive authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and University of Georgia study. The study, available online today in Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science, found that fewer than 10 percent of those surveyed said they would be willing to take such a vaccine or drug and nearly 30 percent remained undecided.

30 Sep 2009

AAP receives grant to promote awareness on childhood obesity

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announces that it has been awarded a $250,000 grant from MetLife Foundation, to promote community and regional approaches to obesity prevention. Through the grant, AAP will launch two national grant programs, which are focused on encouraging both established pediatricians and pediatricians-in-training to develop collaborative methods to educate communities about the health effects of childhood obesity.

29 Sep 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

Taxing high-cost insurance plans to fund health care reform is a bad idea. In fact, it could threaten the medical insurance plans of middle-class workers who obtain coverage from their employers (Gerald W. McEntee, 9/28).

28 Sep 2009

RWJF Nursing Scholarship Program helps alleviate nation's nursing shortage

Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON) has been awarded Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) funding through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program.

25 Sep 2009

Health policy research roundup

In this brief, researchers analyze the cost burden associated with excess rates of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke and renal disease among Hispanics and African Americans relative to non-Hispanic whites. The study predicts that in 2009, "Medicare alone will spend an extra $15.6 billion while private insurers will incur $5.1 billion in additional costs due to elevated rates of chronic illness among African Americans and Hispanics."

25 Sep 2009

Pregnancy can cause metabolic syndrome

Childbearing is associated directly with future development of the metabolic syndrome - abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, insulin resistance and other cardiovascular disease risk factors - and for women who have had gestational diabetes, the risk is more than twice greater, according to a study co-authored by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

23 Sep 2009

Report on evidence-based disease prevention programs released by TFAH and NYAM

Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) released a new report today featuring a range of evidence-based disease prevention programs that have shown results for improving health and reducing costs in communities.

22 Sep 2009