Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Arizona Republic Series Examine Racial Health Disparities

In the latest part of its series on minority health, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on July 23 reports on differences between minorities and whites in receiving organ transplants. Recent studies by the Commonwealth Fund and the Institute of Medicine show that African Americans are less likely than whites to be evaluated for kidney transplants, receive a donated kidney and have a good recovery following the operation. The United Network for Organ Sharing reported in 1995 that 23% of black patients -- who made up 35% of the waiting list for organs -- received transplants, compared with 48% of white patients. Research also has shown that blacks are less likely than whites to elect having a kidney transplant, the Post-Gazette reports. Dr. Clive Callender, a transplant surgeon at Howard University, said that "[i]nstitutionalized racism" is a factor in racial disparities regarding organ transplants. Further, socioeconomic factors contribute to the "divide," the Post-Gazette reports. Minorities also are more likely to have health insurance with higher deductibles and copayments, a situation that might make them less likely to seek treatment. In addition, the difficulty of finding blood and tissue matches for black recipients contributes to lower numbers of blacks receiving transplants, the Post-Gazette reports. To increase awareness about donation and transplantation, Callender has established the National Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program, a grassroots effort to urge minorities to become organ donors (Srikameswaran, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/23).

Arizona Republic Examines Native American Care
In the second of an occasional series on Native American health, the Arizona Republic on July 21 reported on conditions at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, which is "overcrowded, underfunded and outdated." The hospital, one of three in the Indian Health Service, has a $67 million budget that is only half of what officials say it needs. The center, built in 1970, has the capacity for 40,000 annual outpatient visits, but last year it saw a total of 250,000 outpatient cases. With an "exploding urban Indian population," more than 56,000 urban Native Americans and six tribes on nearby reservations rely on the center for health services. Patients may wait months for an appointment and frequently "the emergency room often is the only way in" for those needing care. Yet the hospital has "islands of excellence," blending "traditional healing practices with Western Medicine," the Republic reports. Its podiatry clinic is "a model for programs across the country," and the center recently spent $1 million on a state-of-the-art intensive care facility (Nichols, Arizona Republic, 7/21). A second Republic article profiles the Native American Cardiology Program, created to curb the high incidence of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure in Native American populations. Founded by Dr. James Galloway, the program is an alliance between the Indian Health Service and the University of Arizona Medical Center and its non-profit Sarver Heart Center (Nichols, Arizona Republic, 7/21).