Viewpoints: Examining U.S. Maternal Health Problems; Faith-Based Groups Essential In Addressing Health Inequities

The New York Times: Why Are There So Many Premature Births In America? 
Rates of preterm births in the United States are much higher than in other wealthy nations. A systematic review of global preterm birth published in 2019 showed that the U.S. was in the top ten for preterm births in 2014, ranking seventh, between Pakistan and Ethiopia. Another study found that in part, the “stresses of racism and income disparity” may be exacerbating bad outcomes for American moms and babies. (Jessica Grose, 11/20)

The Baltimore Sun: Faith-Based Groups Have A Role To Play In Ending Health Care Disparities 
The pandemic has shown again the incessant health disparities that exist in communities of color and reminded us how important it is for health care and communities to work closely together toward equity. Local faith-based groups need to be a core part of that effort. Even before the pandemic, churches, mosques, temples and synagogues have long provided the practical and spiritual support to generations of people historically denied access to public health resources. They are able to earn the trust of disenfranchised communities that often have good reason to doubt medical institutions and government health programs. There’s no reason they can’t do the same to ease COVID vaccination fears and concerns. (Lisa Cooper, Mary Ka Kanahan and Debra Hickman, 11/22)

Stat: The U.S. Needs To Engage Communities Around BIPOC Data 
Nearly 170 years ago, a physician who had been born into a poor family used data to stop a cholera epidemic in London’s then-marginalized Soho neighborhood. By interviewing residents and plotting the locations of those who were ill on a simple map, John Snow, today seen as one of the founders of modern epidemiology, identified a shared water well as the source of cholera. Removing the pump handle, which stopped the epidemic by cutting off the supply of contaminated water to the community, is one of epidemiology’s legendary stories. (Warren Kibbe and Giselle Corbie-Smith, 11/22)

NBC News: Why The APA's Apology For Promoting White Supremacy Falls Short
At the end of October, the American Psychological Association released an official apology for being “complicit in contributing to systemic inequities, and [having] hurt many through racism, racial discrimination, and denigration of people of color.” The apology sought to comprehensively denounce the eminent institution’s history of promoting white supremacy within the United States and position the association to effectively remedy these harms through commitments to anti-racist psychological practices. The APA also noted Black psychologists were ignored when they tried to raise these issues over half a century ago. (Evan Auguste, Wade Nobles and Daryl Rowe, 11/21)

The Boston Globe: How Health Care Systems Do, And Do Not, Support Patients 
I live with my four children, three of whom have rare diseases. My sons Austin and Max both have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and my son James has primary immune deficiency. At the time my sons were diagnosed with Duchenne, there were no treatments for it. I was told to take them home and love them because they wouldn’t survive until adulthood. When my son Max was 9, he enrolled in a study that resulted in the first approved disease-modifying treatment for Duchenne. The Food and Drug Administration approved this therapy, in part, based on its benefit to Max while in the clinical trial. But MassHealth has yet to approve Max for access to this treatment. He’s now 19. (Jennifer McNary, 11/22)

The CT Mirror: Period Supplies Are Basic Necessities
There is an ever growing movement to expand access to period supplies. As of the 2022 academic school year, public schools in California, grades six to 12, community colleges and the California State University System — a network of 23 campuses with more than 485,00 students — will be required to provide free period products in restrooms. Period poverty, the struggle to purchase essential period supplies, is a nationwide issue that is causing individuals to miss out on daily life. (Janet Alfano, 11/19)

Georgia Health News: Hospitals Need Help To Stay In A Vital Drug Program 
Rural hospitals across Georgia operate on razor-thin margins, providing a necessary service to communities in need. Due to financial issues, several rural Georgia hospitals have closed over the past decade, forcing those in need of care to travel greater distances for health care. That’s why initiatives like the 340B Drug Pricing Program have been so valuable for health systems like Taylor Regional Hospital. By reducing the cost of drugs, the 340B program has enabled us to save millions of dollars on drug costs and get them into the hands of those in the community who need them. Those savings have helped us expand coverage in our rural community and provide a higher standard of care. (Jonathon Green and Michael Azzolin, 11/19)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas Health Care Is A Tale Of Two Cities
Even before the pandemic, Dallas was a health care paradox. It is home to world-class medical research and it is expanding access to more people through local projects. But it also ranks poorly among American cities in terms of health insurance coverage and disparities of outcome. Important health care institutions across the city deserve praise both for their excellence and their work to expand care, but we cannot ignore a stark reality — too many have too little access to care, and too little ability to pay for the care they receive. (11/21)