Groups Launch Projects To Prevent Diabetes Among Minority Children, Improve Doctor-Patient Communication, Educate Minorities To Teach Health in Their Communities
Several newspapers recently published articles related to initiatives that address health care disparities among minority communities. Summaries appear below.
- Akron, Ohio: The Akron Minority Health Roundtable will form a new racial disparities committee to examine why blacks have higher death rates than whites, the Akron Beacon Journal reports. The roundtable also is planning to assemble local ministers and their spouses to discuss HIV/AIDS awareness in the black community and will host a no-cost health fair on March 14 (Wheeler, Akron Beacon Journal, 3/1).
- Marysville, Wash.: Students at Quil Ceda and Tulalip elementary schools -- at which 42% and 70% of the student population is American Indian respectively -- were chosen to take part in a diabetes prevention program aimed at educating high-risk minority communities, the Everett Herald reports. The program is one of five pilot projects -- others are in Denver; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; and San Diego -- sponsored by the American Diabetes Association that seek to alter children's behavior and prevent type 2 diabetes (Salyer, Everett Herald, 2/27).
- Nashville, Tenn.: The Intercultural Cancer Council and Meharry Medical College last week unveiled a new "Pocket Guide," titled "Cultural Competence in Cancer Care: A Health Care Professional's Passport." The guide is a 121-page resource aimed at improving communication in cancer care among health professionals and underserved patients. The guide is an update from a 2004 edition that highlights the cultural, geographic and socioeconomic health behaviors among blacks, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders. The guide is available for $6 (ICC release, 3/1).
- Providence, R.I.: Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island in collaboration with Beacon Health Strategies and Butler Hospital announced last week that it is receiving one of 11 two-year, $261,000 grants provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to address strategies for improving care among patients with depression in the Hispanic community, Providence Business News reports. The grant is part of the RWJF program, Finding Answers: Disparities Research for Change, which seeks to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care (Providence Business News, 2/22).
- Richmond, Va.: Cross Over Health Ministry has been offering no-cost classes in Spanish that include 10 weeks of training and education on health topics such as cardiovascular disease, nutrition, cancer and prenatal care, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Participants of the two-hour classes, facilitated by Hispanic health education coordinator Karen Bunn, receive informational material to distribute to the community and can graduate from the program by completing all coursework, conducting three personal visits and attending 80% of the course. To date, 28 Hispanics have graduated from the course (Lizama, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/28).