Lack Archives - Mediarabe

Report shows lack of health care access in Black Belt

October 13, 2020

By CAROLINE BECK, Alabama Daily News

a path with trees on the side of a road: Black Belt counties have less physical access to health care in Alabama.

© Provided by Birmingham WBRC
Black Belt counties have less physical access to health care in Alabama.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama’s Black Belt counties have less physical access to health care options and the state overall is suffering poor health outcomes, according to a recent report released by the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center.

The EPC’s definition of the Black Belt includes 24 counties, and Monday’s report, “Health Care: A Key Challenge in Alabama’s Black Belt,” said 17 of them have fewer than the statewide average of 3.9 hospital beds per 1,000 people.

Four Black Belt counties, Lamar, Lowndes, Perry and Pickens, don’t have any hospitals.

“These data suggest that the Black Belt is largely underserved in terms of health care,” the report says. “Specifically, it indicates that Black Belt residents lack physical access to health care, i.e. the nearest hospital or

Health insurance changes leave many surprised with lack of cover

October 13, 2020

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| Health Plans

As a paramedic, Natalie Glaser has a highly stressful job, with long hours and shift work.

She went to her GP, complaining of an upset stomach.

“I was really scared as well, and I still am scared,” she told PM.

But when the doctor advised her to get a colonoscopy straight away, her anxiety grew further.

“My GP asked me if I’d like to go to the private hospital system or the public, and I took out my HCF cover because I said I’m sure I’m covered for this procedure,” she recalled.

“When I pulled it out and it said I wasn’t covered for it, I was quite confused.”

Natalie Glaser said she lost the majority of her coverage when HCF reviewed her policy and moved her down to a lower-cost, more basic level of coverage.

“I lost 18 out of 25 procedures — that’s about 72 per cent of

Lack of diversity among cardiovascular health-care professionals continues

October 13, 2020

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| Global Health

Despite working for more than two decades to address underrepresentation of women in cardiology, disparities among cardiovascular professionals continue to exist. Profound inequities also exist for individuals underrepresented in medicine, such as African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans, who constitute 32 percent of the U.S. population but only eight percent of practicing cardiologists.

“The disparities amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic present disturbing evidence that we are far from cardiovascular healthcare equity in the work place,” says Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, ScM, professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and corresponding author of a Comment in the journal Nature Reviews Cardiology. “Individuals, leaders and institutions must prioritize research, policies, and structures to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging that is essential to advancing workforce excellence and cardiovascular health.”

Diversity and equity in the health-care workforce have been shown to benefit patients and

GOP Senate Control in Jeopardy Due to Lack of Clear Health Care Message. The Solution Is Price Transparency.

October 13, 2020

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| Good Health

Republican control of the Senate is in jeopardy. Tight Senate races in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina and elsewhere threaten the GOP’s three-seat majority. RealClearPolitics polling suggests the battle for the Senate is currently a tossup.

Senate Democrats have indicated they are willing to nuke the longstanding legislative filibuster, allowing them to pass legislation with just 51 Senate votes (or 50 if they also win the presidency). This year’s Senate election is, therefore, the most important in the chamber’s history.

Democrats rode their polling advantage in health care to a blue wave victory in the midterm elections in 2018, flipping 41 seats in the House of Representatives and returning the speaker’s gavel to Nancy Pelosi. Senate Republicans risk succumbing to the same fate this year unless they coalesce around meaningful and popular health care reform to help Americans contend with crushing health care costs.

Republicans have no shortage of

Journalists criticize White House’s lack of transparency on Trump’s health and whereabouts

October 5, 2020

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| Health Facts

Then, some two hours later, the president rolled by the facility during an impromptu drive to thank his supporters, who have been camped outside the medical center in Bethesda, Md.

Axios reporter Alayna Treene, who was the press representative, said there was no heads-up. “The pool was not informed of this ahead of time, and we have not been called back to the White House or Walter Reed,” she said in a dispatch shortly afterward. (Deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere called it “a short, last-minute motorcade ride.”)

The episode was indicative of the disconnect between the Trump administration and a press corps eager for accurate and timely information about the president’s condition.

Associated Press White House reporter Zeke Miller, the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, sent a strongly worded statement to The Washington Post taking the administration to task. “It is outrageous for the president to

NBA Finals lack drama as Lakers are too much for injured Heat

October 3, 2020

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| Good Health

It was supposed to be the sport’s biggest stage. In our bizarre attempt to outlast the novel coronavirus, it was supposed to be grandest athletic event held thus far. The Finals, however, rates as merely good enough.

It’s something to do, about as compelling as watching a daytime talk show host address a virtual audience. It’s better than nothing. But it’s not what we are used to.

The NBA was determined to crown a champion, safely and definitively. The league will do that — and then promptly forget this awkward conclusion.

The Lakers lead the Good Enough Finals, 2-0. They have outscored the Heat by 28 points. Miami played better in Game 2, but it still lost by double figures, 124-114. We’ve seen the Finals start much worse and end up being fantastic. For instance, four years ago, Golden State dominated Cleveland in the first two game, but at the

Behavior health center shut down for lack of infection control

September 29, 2020

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| Health Center

The health department said it “immediately closed Clear View Behavioral Health today, using a summary suspension, because of several regulatory violations.”

JOHNSTOWN, Colo. — A behavior health center in Johnstown was shut down by the state on Monday after several regulatory violations, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said in a news release.

The health department said it “immediately closed Clear View Behavioral Health today, using a summary suspension, because of several regulatory violations.”

The latest violations were found on Sept. 22 after the Health Facilities and Emergency Medical Services Division survey showed multiple deficiencies, including nursing services and infection control.

“We are closely monitoring all healthcare facilities, especially during the pandemic,” said Randy Kuykendall, division director for the Health Facilities and Emergency Medical Services Division under CDPHE. “Patients in facilities are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection due to the ongoing nature of close contact between

UN Forced to Cut Food and Health Programs in Yemen Due to Lack of Funding

September 27, 2020

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A medical worker wearing personal protective equipment works in an intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, June 14, 2020.

Hani Mohammed/AP

Why Global Citizens Should Care

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen threatens the lives of millions of people. The United Nations is calling on donors to provide emergency financial assistance to prevent the crisis from worsening. You can join us in taking action on related issues here.

The United Nations has received only $1 billion towards a requested $2.4 billion for emergency humanitarian aid work in Yemen for 2020, according to Al Jazeera.

This is less than a third of the $3.2 billion received the year before for humanitarian efforts in the country.

As a result, many of the UN’s critical relief programs have been shut down and more programs are at risk of disappearing in the weeks ahead. These closures are taking place

Donald Trump’s Health Care Executive Orders Lack Teeth

September 27, 2020

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| Health Current Events

President Donald Trump, who has long promised a “beautiful” and “phenomenal” health care plan, announced a series of largely meaningless actions on Thursday during a speech in North Carolina that effectively served as a campaign event.

The most tangible proposal Trump unveiled was a vow to send $200 prescription drug discount cards to 33 million Medicare beneficiaries “in the coming weeks.” However, the President said the $6.6 billion outlay needed to fund this program would have to come from savings from his “most favored nations” drug pricing proposal, which he announced on Sept. 13, and which experts say would be close to impossible to implement before the November election.

The Trump Administration recently tried and failed to convince the pharmaceutical industry to fund a similar plan, according to the New York Times. It’s unclear if the version announced Thursday will see a different fate.

Trump also announced two non-binding