Hundreds of major retail pharmacies across the United States have shuttered in recent years, leaving residents without reliable access to prescription medications and essential public health services. According to an analysis by The Associated Press (AP), neighborhoods predominantly inhabited by Latino and Black residents suffer from a lack of pharmacies per capita compared to predominantly white areas. Dima Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD, a professor of clinical pharmacy at the University of Southern California, attributes these closures to insufficient investment in pharmacy development and a lack of incentives to remain open in certain neighborhoods. The burden falls on the remaining pharmacies…
Author: Disparity Matters
Donating $9.5M to Expand Washington DC’s healthcare career training for high school students
In a concerning trend, profitable Los Angeles hospitals are increasingly closing labor and delivery units, disproportionately impacting low-income and minority communities. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, serving a predominantly Black and Latino population, is the latest to face potential closure of its maternity ward due to financial strain. The hospital, which delivered over 1,000 babies last year, is seeking $25 million from the state to maintain operations. CEO Dr. Elaine Batchlor emphasized the critical role the hospital plays, stating, “We’re serving a community that is 90% people of color. We’re serving a community that is facing huge health disparities.” Across Los…
A new study has found significant disparities in obesity rates among children and adolescents of different races and ethnicities in the United States. The research, conducted by Drs. Anurag Mehta and Sanjay Mehta using data from the National Center for Health Statistics, revealed that obesity prevalence was highest in Hispanic youth at 25.8%, followed by non-Hispanic Black youth at 24.2%. In contrast, rates were lower among non-Hispanic White (16.6%) and non-Hispanic Asian (11.0%) children and teens. The study, which examined obesity trends from 1999-2000 to 2017-2018, also found that overall obesity prevalence increased from 13.9% to 19.3% during this period.…
Black children and teens in the United States are significantly more likely to die from drowning compared to their White peers, according to a recent study. The research, led by Dr. Tiffany Quash from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, analyzed drowning death data from 1999 to 2019. The study revealed that the drowning death rate for Black children aged 5-19 was 5.5 times higher than for White children in the same age group. Disparities were most pronounced in swimming pools, with Black children 7.6 times more likely to drown in pools compared to White children. Dr. Quash attributes these…
The 5-Cog tool, a brief cognitive evaluation, significantly enhances dementia care for older Black and Hispanic individuals in primary care settings, according to a new study. The research, led by Dr. Erica Pugh from the University of California, San Francisco, aimed to address the disparities in dementia diagnosis and treatment among underrepresented populations. The randomized clinical trial enrolled 1,201 participants across diverse community health centers in the United States. Researchers discovered that patients assessed with the 5-Cog tool were more likely to receive dementia-related interventions, such as specialist referrals and imaging tests, compared to the control group. Dementia, a global…
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the federal government has been underfunding Native American tribes that manage their own healthcare programs for the past 30 years. The court determined that federal law mandates the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to cover the overhead costs incurred by tribes when utilizing funds from Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers. The ruling, which affirms decisions by the 9th and 10th U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, is a significant victory for the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona and the Northern Arapaho Tribe in Wyoming, both of which had…
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries, despite improvements since the pandemic, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund reveals. In 2022, the U.S. recorded 22.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, a staggering 395 percent higher than the median rate of 4.5 deaths per 100,000 in other wealthy nations. The report highlights significant racial disparities, with Black women experiencing a mortality rate of 49.5 deaths per 100,000 births, 160 percent higher than the rate for white women. The authors suggest that around 80 percent of these deaths are preventable through societal and institutional changes,…
A recent medical milestone has sparked optimism in the fight against kidney disease disparities affecting Black Americans. The successful transplantation of a genetically modified pig kidney into a 62-year-old Black man in Massachusetts marks a significant step forward in addressing the organ shortage crisis that disproportionately impacts the Black community.Black Americans face a stark reality when it comes to kidney health. They are nearly four times more likely to suffer from kidney disease compared to their white counterparts and represent over 35% of dialysis patients despite comprising only 14% of the U.S. population. This disparity has long been exacerbated by…
A new study has found significant racial disparities in the availability of pharmacies across the United States, with predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods facing a shortage of pharmacies compared to predominantly white areas. The research, led by Dr. Dima Qato from the University of Southern California, analyzed data from 2007 to 2015 and revealed that pharmacies are more likely to close in non-white neighborhoods, exacerbating existing health disparities. The study highlights the underrepresentation of pharmacies in communities of color, which can lead to reduced access to essential medications and healthcare services. This lack of access not only affects the availability…