Our cities, our health, our future: Acting on social determinants for health equity in urban settings
Chair and Lead Writer: Tord Kjellstrom
Report of the Knowledge Network on Urban Settings, WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health
Prepared by the WHO Centre for Health Development, Kobe, Japan - 2007
Available online as PDf file [70p.] at: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/resources/knus_report_16jul07.pdf
“…..A conceptual framework for urban health was suggested by Vlahov et al. (2006, 2007) and was adapted for the report (Figure 4). The core concept is that the social and physical environments that define the urban context are shaped by multiple factors and multiple players at multiple levels. Global trends, national and local governments, civil society, markets and the private sector shape the context in which local factors operate. Governance interventions in the urban setting must consider national and municipal determinants and should strive to influence both the urban living and working environments as well as intermediary processes that include social process and health knowledge." [posted on PAHO/WHO Equity listserv]
I was lucky enough to hear Dr. Daniel Blumenthal speak at Creighton University Medical Center last week, and want to recommend his article "A Community Coalition Board Creates a Set of Values for Community-based Research" as an example of a community case study in which the community truly is responsible for setting the research agenda. You can read the full text article, printed online in Preventing Chronic Disease, Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2006 at http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jan/05_0068.htm
Getting the Word Out: Effective Outreach to Cultural Communities
http://www.medtronic.com/downloadablefiles/outreach_brochure.pdf
published by the Medtronic Foundation
"Getting the Word Out is a guide to effective outreach for health organizations. In particular, this guide is intended for patient support organizations that would like to make their information, referral, support and advocacy services more accessible to people from a variety of cultural communities." [posted on CLAStalk-list]
To increase the number of rural and public hospitals participating in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) 5 Million Lives Campaign, the Cardinal Health Foundation announced today it is granting up to $500,000 to hospitals that enroll and report their data to IHI. Hospitals would receive up to $15,000 each to help defray costs associated with implementing IHI initiatives, aimed at protecting patients from five million incidents of medical harm over two years (December 2006 – December 2008). The National Rural Health Association and the National Association of Public Hospitals and HealthSystems will administer the grants. Both groups will oversee the application process and review grant applications. Read the full press release at http://www.cardinal.com/content/news/6202007_75317.asp
Find application materials at http://www.NRHArural.org/groups/pdf/CHFGrantRFP-2.pdf
Active Living Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has announced a call for presentation and paper abstracts for its annual conference to be held April 9-12, 2008, in Washington, D.C. The theme of the conference is "Connecting Active Living Research to Policy Solutions." Abstracts on all topics related to active living policies and environments are welcome. Deadline: September 17.
Active Living Research has also issued a call for nominations for the "Translating Research to Policy" award, which will be presented at the conference. This national award will recognize innovators who have successfully harnessed research to impact policy and environmental changes. Deadline: September 17. For more information, visit http://www.activelivingresearch.org/ [posted on CBPR listsserv]
A new Pew Internet study says that 47% of American adults now have a broadband connection at home, an increase of 5 percentage points from early 2006. Home broadband connections in rural areas is now at 31% and continues to lag behind high speed adoption in urban and suburban areas. Read the entire report http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/217/report_display.asp You can also read a summary of the report on Andy Carvin's "Learning Now" blog on PBS.org http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2007/07/got_broadband.html
A brief skill-building program on practices to reduce exposure to sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV improved the self-reported protective behaviors of inner-city black women for up to one year and actually decreased their risk of acquiring an STD, according to a study appearing in the June 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The women received the program from specially trained nurses either individually or in small group sessions at an inner-city women’s health clinic. The study was conducted as part of the “Sister to Sister: The Black Women’s Health Project,” funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read the press release at http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2007/ninr-26.htm Read the abstract at http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/6/1034
For those of you in clinical settings without access to a medical library, set up a Loansome Doc account with any medical library in the country http://www.nlm.nih.gov/loansomedoc/loansome_home.html Contact your Regional Medical Library to do this by calling 800-338-7657. Tell them Siobhan sent you!
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has just posted a call for proposals related to Vulnerable Populations.
No Private Matter! Ending Abuse in Intimate and Family Relations
Application Deadline: March 28, 2007
Join the search for innovative solutions to domestic and intimate partner violence, a problem that plagues families and communities in the United States and around the world. “No Private Matter!”, an online, open source, collaborative competition co-sponsored by RWJF and Changemakers, seeks to stimulate new thinking and solicit innovative approaches from the field to help eliminate intimate partner violence in the United States.
http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=19811&c=EMC-FA144 [posted on RWJF Funding Alert]
Dispatch Staff Report
"A 58 percent increase in business for a company is a cause for celebration.
The same holds true for the services provided by the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, which is what happened recently when the library replaced its public computers." http://www.cdispatch.com/articles/2006/08/19/local_news/area_news/area01.txt
[posted on the Digital Divide Network Listserv http://www.digitaldivide.net/]
The Partnership for Public Service http://www.ourpublicservice.org/ is hosting a web site on the lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina: Government After Katrina: An Urgent Need For Action This project is devoted to improving government performance by sharing information about Hurricane Katrina and highlighting Katrina’s lessons to drive forward-looking solutions. http://www.governmentafterkatrina.org/main/index.htm
A Billion Voices: Listening and Responding to the Health Needs of Slum Dwellers and Informal Settlers in New Urban Settings
ANALYTIC AND STRATEGIC REVIEW PAPER
Prepared for the Knowledge Network on Urban Settings of the World Health Organisation’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health
WHO Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre) - 2005
Available online as PDF file [50p.] at: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/resources/urban_settings.pdf
“…..The urban setting as we know it today is a complex and dynamic environment that has a profound impact on the health of the human community. Three interrelated characteristics of urbanization make it different from what it was in the past: 1) the rapid rate of urban growth and its effect on municipal governments; 2) the upsurge in poverty and its effect on the urban economy; and, 3) the proliferation of slums and their impact on the urban environment and the environment’s impact on slums."
[posted on PAHO/WHO Equity List]
Friday, September 29, 2006 9:00 AM - Sunday, October 1, 2006 11:30 AM
George Washington University- Marvin Center
800 21st Street, NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20052
202-994-7470
http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?i=0fb31b2c-00a7-4a92-a19b-a3a18ceff22a
The first national conference of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved provides a unique opportunity for clinicians, consumers and community advocates to work together on health advocacy, care management and quality improvements to our health system. Conference participants will participate in relevant skill building and networking sessions and have opportunities to provide input for building and strengthening the ACU vision and its strategic direction for supporting clinicians and consumers in underserved communities.
August 6-12th is National Health Center Week. The Association encourages you to work in your community to celebrate National Community Health Center Week. If you would like more information you may visit: http://www.nachc.org and click on the Health Center Week on the left side, or go directly to http://www.healthcenterweek.org/ [posted by the Nebraska Minority Public Health Association]
October 23-24, 2006 - Bethesda, Maryland
Website: http://obssr.od.nih.gov/HealthDisparities/index.html
The conference focuses on three broad areas of action influencing health disparities: policy, prevention, and healthcare. It emphasize both basic research on the behavioral, social, and biomedical pathways giving rise to disparities in health and applied research on the development, testing, and delivery of interventions to reduce disparities in these three action areas.
The conference employs a multi-level analytic framework (i.e., ranging from individuals to societies). It includes research relevant to a wide range of population groups (e.g., variation by SES, race, ethnicity, gender) residing in the United States, while not attempting to provide detailed analyses of each and every group. Consideration is given to multiple public health issues and their interactions (e.g., multiple morbidities rather than single illnesses) and to risk factors or causal processes common to various health conditions (e.g., smoking, diet, exercise, access to health care). Contact information : Suzanne Heurtin-Roberts, Ph.D. National Cancer Institute, co-chair of the organizing committee - sheurtin@mail.nih.gov
[posted on PAHO/WHO EQUITY listserv]
The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved 10th Anniversary Conference
Friday, September 29, 2006 9:00 AM - Sunday, October 1, 2006 11:30 AM
George Washington University- Marvin Center
800 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
http://www.clinicians.org/
Two New Resources from the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
(CHHCS) -- July 7, 2006
1) Dr. Rosenthal's Toolkit: Clinical and Management Tools for Effective School-Based Dental Programs Dr. Rosenthal, former dental director for the New York City Health Department and consultant to school-based health center programs, has created a collection of essential materials for organizing dental services at school. http://www.healthinschools.org/sh/dental/toolkit.asp
2) Children of Immigrants and Refugees: What the research tells us http://www.healthinschools.org/cac/immigrantfs.pdf
[posted on HHCS-Schools listserv]
Also see the web site for the latest health related grants http://www.healthinschools.org/grants/alerts.asp
Registration is open for the next Public Health Grand Rounds: "After Katrina: Building a Better Public Health System for the Future", to be presented on June 9, 2006 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm E.T. Join a discussion on the strategic planning process that is helping Greater New Orleans overcome challenges to build a better public health system for the future. To register, go to http://publichealthgrandrounds.unc.edu. This program may be viewed at a satellite downlink site near you or as a webcast. [posted by ph_grand_rounds]
Pollutants Threaten Poor, Minority Kids
Their families are more likely to live near lead, pesticides, study finds
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_31366.html
Robert Preidt
WEDNESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Environmental toxins that harm a child's brain development and other aspects of health are much more likely to affect poor or minority kids than youngsters from white or more affluent families, a U.S. study shows.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, also believe that local, state and federal policies aren't doing enough to correct these inequities.
The findings appear in the March/April issue of Child Development.
Some Local Drinking Water Contains Too Much Fluoride
U.S. panel concludes that health threats exist, including bone fractures
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_31374.html
WEDNESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- The current maximum level of fluoride allowed in U.S. drinking water is too high, and may cause health problems such as bone fractures and, ironically, erosion of tooth enamel.
That's the conclusion of a panel from the National Academy of Sciences commissioned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assess the safety of fluoride levels in drinking water.
Related MedlinePlus Pages:
Child Development - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//childdevelopment.html
Children's Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//childrenshealth.html
Environmental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//environmentalhealth.html
Child Dental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//childdentalhealth.html
Dental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//dentalhealth.html
Drinking Water - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//drinkingwater.html
MedlinePlus Health News, Thursday March 23, 2006
Blacks' low trust of docs linked to communication
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_31050.html
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study raises the concern that black patients with lung cancer have lower levels of trust in their physicians in part because of poorer perceived communication about their treatment.
Urban Air Clean-Ups Save Lives
Ridding skies of particulate matter cuts heart, respiratory deaths, study finds
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_31067.html
HealthDay
Robert Preidt
WEDNESDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- Cutting down on fine particulate matter in city air can be a real lifesaver, a new study finds.
"This reduction was observed specifically for deaths due to cardiovascular and respiratory disease and not from lung cancer," researcher Francine Laden, of Channing Laboratory in Boston, said in a prepared statement.
Related MedlinePlus Pages:
African-American Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//africanamericanhealth.html
Talking With Your Doctor - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//talkingwithyourdoctor.html
Air Pollution - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//airpollution.html
Heart Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//heartdiseases.html
Lung Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus//lungdiseases.html
New York Times Syndicate
By Steven Reinberg
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Black women who live in poor neighborhoods are less likely to be screened for cervical cancer than women living in more affluent areas, researchers find.
The reason for the lower rate of screening isn't clear, and the researchers note that other factors linked to lower screening rates, such as older age or lower education, don't seem to play a role.
"Even among women who were professionals or who were educated, they, too, had decreased screening if they lived in neighborhoods with high poverty," says study author Geetanjali Dabral Datta, a postgraduate fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The report appears in the Feb. 1 issue of Cancer.
Read the full article at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_28832.html
PubMed ID 16378349 http://www.pubmed.gov
Related MedlinePlus Pages:
African-American Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/africanamericanhealth.html
Cervical Cancer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cervicalcancer.html
Women's Health Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/womenshealthissues.html
Caroline O N Moser
Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 16 No. 2,October 2004
Available online at: http://tinyurl.com/cdex7
“…This paper addresses the following four interrelated objectives:
• to define and systematically categorize the multiple forms of violence;
• to profile the measurement, trends and characteristics of urban violence;
• to identify interrelated causes, costs and consequences of the phenomenon; and
• to understand the different types of interventions to reduce violence at national, city and community level, focusing on the urban poor and excluded….”
Related article:
City Violence and the Poor
Caroline O. N. Moser, Brookings Institution, USA
In Focus - International Poverty Centre - United Nations Development Programme August 2005 http://tinyurl.com/asbvu
[posted on Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO EQUITY listserv]
Eating a more healthful diet to combat undernutrition and maintain weight control is simply not an affordable option for many low-income Americans. Confirmation of that claim, at least for low-income residents of three communities in Boston, Massachusetts – South Dorchester, Mattapan, and the South End – is provided in a new report from the Boston Medical Center’s Food Security Project, titled “The Real Co$t of a Healthy Diet.”
Researchers assessed the costs of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), the federal government’s basis for food stamp benefits, and a modified, healthier diet that adheres to the most recent dietary guidelines. They found that “the monthly cost of the TFP in sampled stores in Boston is $27 more than the maximum monthly food stamp benefit.” Moreover, “the monthly cost of a healthier diet in sampled stores in Boston is $148 more than the maximum monthly food stamp benefit.”
Although food stamps are facing potential cuts, researchers emphasized “Food Stamp Program funding must be increased, rather than reduced” to help low-income families eat better. The full report may be found at:
http://dcc2.bumc.bu.edu/csnappublic/HealthyDiet_Aug2005.pdf
[posted in Digest for IndigenousNewsNetwork@topica.com, issue 544]
Scheduled for the third Tuesday of each September (Sept. 20th), Take A Loved One for a Checkup Day encourages individuals to take charge of their health by visiting a health professional (doctor, nurse, dentist, nurse practitioner, physician assistant or other health provider), making an appointment for a visit, attending a health event in the community or helping a friend, neighbor or family member do the same. For more information and resources, see http://www.healthgap.omhrc.gov/
[posted in onsumer Health e-News Sept. 1, 2005]
The Census Bureau plans to release the annual estimates of health insurance coverage from the Current Population Survey at a press conference tomorrow -- Tuesday, August 30, 2005.
The report and press release will be available from the Census Bureau at http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/
To help reporters writing about the new uninsured numbers, and for the benefit of everyone interested in the uninsured, the Alliance for Health Reform recommends the following websites and reports. Check our website – www.allhealth.org – in the coming days for another tool kit on interesting approaches to covering the uninsured, from a variety of viewpoints.
[posted on Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO EQUITY listserv]
1) “Health Insurance Data” – Home page of the Census Bureau’s data on health insurance, including links to historical tables and links to the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), two different ways of measuring the number of uninsured. www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/hlthins.html
2) “The Uninsured” – Chapter from the Alliance for Health Reform’s latest guide for reporters, “Covering Health Issues: 2004.” Includes a list of expert sources with telephone numbers and helpful websites. www.allhealth.org/sourcebook2004/pdfs/chapter1.pdf
Spanish version: www.allhealth.org/spanishsourcebook2004/pdfs/Chapter1.pdf
3) “Myths About the Uninsured” – 10 myths and corresponding facts about the uninsured from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. April 28, 2005. www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/Myths-about-the-Uninsured-Fact-Sheet.pdf
4) “IOM Report Calls for Universal Coverage by 2010” – Link to report from the Institute of Medicine on the consequences of being uninsured. News release on the report has a quick list of key consequences. Jan. 14, 2004 www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=17632
5) “What Is the Current Population Survey Telling Us About the Number of Uninsured?” – Issue brief from Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured describing the main concerns with the Census Bureau’s CPS health coverage estimates and how analysts have attempted to adjust for problems. Aug. 24, 2005 www.kff.org/uninsured/7384.cfm
6) “People With Health Insurance: A Comparison of Two Surveys” – Discussion from the Census Bureau of why CPS and SIPP come up with different numbers of the uninsured. June 8, 2004 www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/workpapr/wp243.pdf
7) “AHRQ Issues New Data on the Uninsured” – News release on the latest findings from Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a third way of measuring the uninsured, from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Links available to three statistics briefs from AHRQ giving more details. Aug. 9, 2005 www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2005/mepstatspr.htm
8) “Health Insurance Coverage” – Home page for The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s information on health coverage issues. www.rwjf.org/portfolios/interestarea.jsp?iaid=132
9) “Going Without: America’s Uninsured Children” – A state-by-state look at the 8.4 million uninsured children in the U.S. – of whom more than seven in 10 appear to be eligible for Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage. Prepared for The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center and the Urban Institute. The report was used as a springboard for a nationwide back-to-school campaign to encourage parents to enroll their children in these programs, led by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Covering Kids & Families. August 2, 2005. www.shadac.org/publications/reports/ckf_bts_aug05.pdf
For more information on the back-to-school campaign: http://coveringkidsandfamilies.org/communications/bts/
10) “Cover the Uninsured Week”—Home page for Cover the Uninsured Week, with links to many sources of information about the uninsured. http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/
11) “Health Care Coverage and Access – Insurance/Uninsured” – Home page for The Commonwealth Fund’s information on health coverage issues. www.cmwf.org/topics/topics.htm?attrib_id=9079&portal=yes
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_26207.html
By Anthony J. Brown, MD
Monday, August 8, 2005
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When strapped for cash, it is not uncommon for people to cut back on taking their prescribed medications. Now, new research indicates that this tendency -- which can have obvious adverse health consequences -- is offset by a high degree of trust between patients and doctors.
"In our study of over 900 diabetic patients in a VA health system, we found that medication costs were a problem for everybody, regardless of whether they trusted their doctors or not," lead author Dr. John D. Piette, from the VA Ann Arbor Health Care System in Michigan, told Reuters Health. "Nevertheless, when people didn't trust their doctors, they were much more likely to cut back on medications because of cost pressures."
Related MedlinePlus Pages:
Medicines - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/medicines.html
Patient Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/patientissues.html
Talking With Your Doctor - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/talkingwithyourdoctor.html
Somehow we have come to accept that the public library will function as a warehouse for people with problems so severe that they result in their being unable to maintain permanent residence. Nobody ever wrote that into the mission statement; it is just the way things went, unfortunately—unfortunately for the libraries, and their patrons, homeless and otherwise.
http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=11046
[posted on WebJunction Newsletter: Crossroads August 2005]
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_26045.html
United Press International
By ANDREW DAMSTEDT
Thursday, July 28, 2005
WASHINGTON, Jul 28, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Millions of low-income families could be helped by a new program intended to help them afford prescription medications, the effort's sponsors said.
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance already has helped more than half a million patients connect to prescription assistance programs since its launch in early April.
Billy Tauzin, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said at a news conference the pharmaceutical companies are "pleased that the medicines they make are now reaching the consumers" and the program's goal is to hit the 1 million mark by September.
"Millions more could enroll if only they knew the programs existed," Tauzin said, adding that the PhRMA board of directors voted to spend tens of millions of dollars to promote the program through media advertisements.
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance Website: https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php
Other Resources for Insurance and Prescription Drug Resources http://nnlm.gov/mcr/resources/community/inner.html
Related MedlinePlus Pages:
Financial Assistance - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/financialassistance.html
Medicines - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/medicines.html
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva presented an amendment today during the House Education and Workforce Committee’s markup of H.R. 609, the College Access and Opportunity Act to expand loan forgiveness to highly qualified teachers in low-income communities, bilingual teachers, librarians and child welfare workers.
The amendment passed by voice vote.
http://www.house.gov/grijalva/press/press_releases/pr_072105_2.html
While this is not directly health related, legal and medical issues, as well as legal and immigration issues, often go hand in hand. I was at the CTCnet conference http://www.ctcnet.org/conf/2005/about/overview.htm last month exhibiting for the National Library of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ and was next to the booth for the LawHelp.org http://www.lawhelp.org/ LawHelp contains information to help people with low and moderate incomes find legal resources. Using this website will allow you to find the organization in your state that provides leagal assistance to help low income Americans to gain equal access to the judicial system.
ACHIEVING SOCIAL JUSTICE IN URBAN COMMUNITIES
http://www.crich.ca/isuhconference2005/default.asp
October 26-28, 2005 The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Toronto, Ontario Canada
Hosted by: Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St Michael's Hospital
THE OFFICIAL CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR URBAN HEALTH
This conference, now in its 4th year, has become the leading international forum for the discussion of urban health research. The annual meeting of the International Society for Urban Health brings together researchers, practitioners, community members, and policy makers to present leading-edge research and to discuss how to translate research into practice and policy. The past conferences have had increasing international attendance and representation from a wide variety of research disciplines.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Online abstract submission is open for the 4th International Conference on Urban Health: http://www.crich.ca/isuhconference2005/call.asp
[posted on The NETWORK-Black Young Professionals' Public Health Network]
"The proliferation of the Internet has enabled many new health care information technologies to streamline clinical, administrative and operational activities. Competing priorities, growing market competition and increasing budget constraints have made it challenging for community clinics to keep pace with information technology progress. To ensure that community clinics gain the same access to information tools as the private sector, the Tides Foundation, in partnership with the California Endowment, developed the Community Clinics Initiative (CCI)."
http://www.communityclinics.org/
Publications of Interest to clinics looking to enhance their IT departments:
Empowering Community Clinics A Manual for Making Informed Technology Selection Decisions http://tinyurl.com/7dj2f
Report From the Field:Insights by Community Clinics on
Information Technology Adoption http://www.communityclinics.org/files/708_Final_RTF_DEC04.pdf
2nd edition / edited by Richard Wilkinson and Michael Marmot.
ISBN 92 890 1371 0 World Health Organization
Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark
Available online as PDF file [33p.] at: http://www.who.dk/document/E81384.pdf
“…..Poorer people live shorter lives and are more often ill than the rich. This disparity has drawn attention to the remarkable sensitivity of health to the social environment. This publication examines this social gradient in health, and explains how psychological and social influences affect physical health and longevity.
It then looks at what is known about the most important social determinants of health today, and the role that public policy can play in shaping a social environment that is more conducive to better health.
This second edition relies on the most up-to-date sources in its selection and description of the main social determinants of health in our society today. Key research sources are given for each: stress, early life, social exclusion, working conditions, unemployment, social support, addiction, healthy food and transport policy.
Policy and action for health need to address the social determinants of health, attacking the causes of ill health before they can lead to problems. This is a challenging task for both decision-makers and public health actors and advocates. This publication provides the facts and the policy options that will enable them to act…..”
[posted on PAHO/WHO EQUITY listserv]
From May 1- 8, individuals and organizations from every sector of society will join together to tell our leaders that health care coverage for all Americans must be their top priority. The Week will mobilize thousands of business owners, union members, educators, students, patients, hospital staff, physicians, nurses, faith leaders and their congregants, and many others.
http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/
Andy Carvin is Program Director of the EDC Center for Media & Communityfor in Newton, Massachusetts. Andy serves as coordinator of the Digital Divide Network http://www.digitaldivide.net/, an online community of nearly 7,000 activists, policymakers, business leaders and researchers in more than 115 countries working to find solutions to the digital divide. Read his entire post on the new Food Pyramid at http://tinyurl.com/dtw8e A blurb of his comments follow:
"I truly, truly hope the USDA does more than just this website to educate the public, though. As I've written before in my work on e-government for all, it's poor policymaking to assume that all constituents will have equal access to the Internet or the skills to use it. Therefore, you need to make sure you use alternative offline channels -- TV, radio, print, in-person meetings, etc -- to make government services and information available to the people who need it.
Unfortunately, when you look at various demographic groups, there's a higher likelihood of lower-income, less-educated people to eat a poor diet. Just the audience you'd want to reach in a public health campaign, right? Paradoxically, they're also the ones least likely to have Internet access or Internet skills. This makes it even more important to invest in large-scale offline campaigns to get health-related information directly into their hands."
157 new chemical records have been added to NLM's Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) since June, 2003 http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/help/toxnet_update.html
The Hazardous Substances Data Bank http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?HSDB is part of the National Library of Medicine's TOXNET system. It focuses on the toxicology of over 4,700 potentially hazardous chemicals, and is enhanced with information on human exposure, industrial hygiene, emergency handling procedures, environmental fate, regulatory requirements, and related areas.
Further information about HSDB can be found in the National Library of Medicine's HSDB Fact Sheet at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/hsdbfs.html
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance
This is a collaboration of America's pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get medicines through applicable public or private programs. Details: https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php
Providing Language Services in Small Health Care Provider Settings
This publication describes creative, effective methods that small providers (10 or fewer clinicians) can tailor to meet the needs of limited English proficient patients. Promising practices include: recruiting bilingual staff for dual roles (e.g., front-desk and interpreter positions); ongoing cultural and language competency training for interpreter staff; tapping community resources; and exploring underutilized funding sources. All "examples from the field" include complete contact information to help interested providers learn more. [Commonwealth Fund, April 2005] http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=270667
2005 National Health Information Awards
Deadline: April 22, 2005
The National health Information Awards is designed to annually recognize high-quality consumer health information. All materials and/or programs developed and/or distributed between Jan. 1, 2004 and Dec. 31, 2004, are eligible for the competition. Details: http://www.healthawards.com/nhia/
Spring/Summer 2005 World Wide Web Health Awards
Deadline: May 13, 2005
The World Wide Web Health Awards recognizes the world's best health information websites for consumers and health professionals. Because of the dynamic nature of health information on the Web, this competition is held twice a year, each spring/summer and fall/winter. Details: http://www.healthawards.com/nhia/
[posted on ACHI Community Health News, 4-13-05]
Projections Of The Uninsured Through 2013
Using the model and projections for national health spending, we project that the number of nonelderly uninsured Americans will grow from forty-five million in 2003 to fifty-six million by 2013. [Health Affairs, 4-5-05] http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.w5.143
Who Will Speak for the Uninsured?
More than 18,000 Americans die annually for lack of health insurance, and the nation's laws and big business are partly to blame. How many sick, uninsured people must die from lack of affordable health care before we say "enough"? ...Our silence and indifference about the shortcomings of American health care are confounding and amazing. [Denver Post, 3-30-05] http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E418%257E2788342,00.html?search=filter
[posted in ACHI Community Health News, 4-6-05]
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_23820.html
By Karla Gale
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Even though physicians are aware that the cost of medications can be a problem for their patients, being rushed for time and fear of embarrassing their patients may prevent them from broaching the topic during office visits, investigators report.
"Patient-physician communication about out-of-pocket medication costs is important but neglected," lead investigator Dr. G. Caleb Alexander told Reuters Health. "Our prior work found that about two thirds of patients reported a desire to talk with physicians about their out-of-pocket cost and about 80 percent of physicians believe patients want to discuss these costs."
For more information on health issues, see MedlinePlus http://medlineplus.gov/
Talking With Your Doctor http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/talkingwithyourdoctor.html
Medicines http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/medicines.html
Patient Issues http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/patientissues.html
For resources on Health Benefits and Prescription Drug Programs, see: http://nnlm.gov/mcr/resources/community/inner.html
May 1-8, 2005 is Cover the Uninsured Week. For information on events, resources and downloads, and other tools, see http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_23517.html
Monday, March 14, 2005
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Malt liquor, a type of beer that is higher in alcohol than other brews, is largely a drink of the homeless and unemployed, and is likely to be abused, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Malt liquor is also heavily marketed to black and Hispanic youth, a team at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in California report. Their study of 329 drinkers in Los Angeles found that malt liquor drinkers are different from those who drink other alcoholic beverages.
Ricky Bluthenthal, who led the study, said malt liquors are higher in alcohol than other beers and tend to be sold in larger containers.
"We found that the combination of these differences resulted in the average malt liquor drinker in our study consuming 80-percent more alcohol per drink than the average regular beer drinker," he said in a statement.
Also see MedlinePlus Health Topics:
Homeless Health Concerns http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/homelesshealthconcerns.html
Alcohol Consumption http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcoholconsumption.html
Alcohol and Youth http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcoholandyouth.html
Researchers found a link between the risk of mental illness and poverty, unemployment, and inability to afford housing. "The poorer one's socioeconomic conditions are, the higher one's risk is for mental disability and psychiatric hospitalization," said author Christopher G. Hudson, Ph.D., of Salem State College. A link to the full article, published in "American Journal of Orthopsychiatry" is toward the bottom of the press release.
http://www.apa.org/releases/lowses.html
The full text of the study is available at http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/ort7513.pdf
[psoted on the The NETWORK-Black Young Professionals' Public Health Network, Inc]
Predicting and Reducing Lead Poisoning in Urban Youth
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/press/030305.html
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Seasonality and Children’s Blood Lead Levels: Developing a Predictive Model using Climatic Variables and Blood Lead Data from Indianapolis, Indiana, Syracuse, New York and New Orleans, Louisiana (USA) Mark A. S. Laidlaw, Howard W. Mielke, Gabriel M. Filippelli, David L. Johnson, and Christopher R. Gonzales http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7759/7759.pdf
More on Lead Poisoning at MedlinePlus http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/leadpoisoning.html
Cockroaches do more to worsen the asthma of inner city children than dust mites or pets, say researchers from Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Though people normally think of allergies in relation to animals or flowers, allergic reactions to cockroaches are the primary contributors to childhood asthma in inner-city homes, researchers reported.
Read the complete article on MedlinePlus News http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_23428.html
MedlinePlus Health Topics of Interest include:
Allergy http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/allergy.html
Asthma http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asthma.html
Asthma in Children http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asthmainchildren.html
Read an interview on the Digital Divide Network with Barbara Monroe, author of Crossing the Digital Divide: Race, Writing, and Technology in the Classroom. http://www.digitaldivide.net/articles/view.php?ArticleID=85
"The book looks at what we can learn from students from the other side of the other side of the digital divide. So far the discourse on the Digital Divide has been dominated by white liberals who have advocated from leveling the playing filed, but now that those schools have come online we can learn from them. It’s about access more than computers, it’s very complicated. It’s much more complicated than we originally thought it would be. Ultimately, what I want to know about is how technology integration works or doesn’t work."
America's Largest City Supports One Economy's Efforts to Bridge the Digital Divide http://press.arrivenet.com/gov/article.php/599131.html
NEW YORK, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York City Council unanimously adopted a resolution to provide low- or no-cost high-speed Internet access to affordable housing residents.
Res. No. 669, introduced by Council Member Gale A. Brewer, the Chair of the New York City Council's Committee on Technology in Government, calls upon City agencies to use their funding and regulatory power to support and encourage the provision of affordable high-speed Internet service and computer purchases for the benefit of residents of affordable housing.
"This resolution will help us bridge the digital divide -- lack of access to the economic, educational and financial tools that the Internet provides," said Council Member Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan). "By encouraging new affordable housing developments to be built with high-speed Internet access, we can accelerate the entry of low-income people into the economic mainstream. At a cost as low as $175 a unit, this is an investment New York can't afford not to make."
[posted on the Digital Divide Network listserv http://mailman.edc.org/pipermail/digitaldivide/2005-February/001459.html]
Campaign to Highlight 45 Million Uninsured Americans (May 1-8)
Today, 45 million Americans have no health insurance, including more than 8 million children. Eight out of 10 uninsured Americans either work or are in working families. As the price of health care continues to rise, fewer individuals and families can afford to pay for coverage. Cover the Uninsured Week 2005 will bring together individuals and organizations from all sectors of society to tell our leaders that health coverage for all Americans must be their top priority. Events, including kick-offs, health and enrollment fairs, seminars for small businesses, campus events and interfaith activities will take place in hundreds of communities nationwide, spotlighting the fact that too many of us are living without health coverage. Visit www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org for more information and updates on the Week.
Reuters Health
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Bipolar disorder may often go undiagnosed and untreated in the urban poor, with 1 in 10 found to have the mental illness in a study of one New York clinic published on Tuesday.
The 13-month study at the clinic serving low-income patients found that few reported being diagnosed or treated for the illness.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_23145.html
For more on BiPolar Disorder, see: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bipolardisorder.html
What's Next? What to Watch for in the Coming Debates
Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
This event addressed the effects President Bush's FY 2006 Budget could have on health programs like Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP. Panelists answered these questions and others: After the hearings are over and votes are taken, how many of the president's health initiatives will remain? What budget proposals originating with Congress might be adopted? How will discretionary programs - like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health - be affected?
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?create=high_windows&linkid=1&display=detail&hc=1363
[posted on Kaiser webcast]
How can health care systems effectively deal with the major health care needs of homeless people?
WHO Regional Office for Europe’s Health Evidence Network (HEN)
January 2005
Website: http://www.euro.who.int/HEN/Syntheses/homeless/20050124_12
PDF version [20p.] at: http://www.euro.who.int/document/E85482.pdf
“…..Abstract: This is a Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report focusing on the evidence of effective treatment for the types of ill-health from which homeless people often suffer. Homeless people constitute a heterogeneous population characterized by multiple morbidity (primarily alcohol and drug dependence, and mental disorders) and premature mortality. The problems need to be addressed by many measures, requiring a focused primary health care system and multi-agency cooperation…..”
[posted on PAHO/WHO EQITY listserv]
Reuters Health
By Anthony J. Brown, MD
Thursday, February 10, 2005
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Levels of airborne mouse allergen in inner-city homes are often comparable to those seen in animal facilities, new research shows. "We were somewhat surprised at how many homes had detectable levels of airborne mouse allergen," lead author Dr. Elizabeth C. Matsui noted. In many cases, the allergen had reached levels that would likely trigger asthma symptoms in sensitized individuals.
For the complete article, see MedlinePlus Health News at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_22908.html
MedlinePlus Health Topics
Allergy http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/allergy.html
Asthma in Children http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asthmainchildren.html
Environmental Health http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/environmentalhealth.html
See Phil Shapiro's Blog for MAC Using Educators http://www.macusingeducators.com/ His February 10 entry provides instructions on how to put together a 12 computer lab for $2,000. [posted on the Digital Divide Network]
The permanent URL for this posting is: http://www.macusingeducators.com/2005/02/designing-g3g4-computer-lab-for-2000.html
Congress established the Interagency Council on Homelessness in 1987 with the passage of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. The Council is responsible for providing Federal leadership for activities to assist homeless families and individuals.
The major activities of the Council include: planning and coordinating the Federal government's activities and programs to assist homeless people, and making or recommending policy changes to improve such assistance; monitoring and evaluating assistance to homeless persons provided by all levels of government and the private sector; ensuring that technical assistance is provided to help community and other organizations effectively assist homeless persons; and disseminating information on Federal resources available to assist the homeless population.
The actions needed to carry out the policies and priorities established by the Council are developed by a policy-level working group and various task forces with the assistance of Council staff. The policy group provides a forum for coordinating policies and programs, developing special initiatives, and preparing recommendations for consideration by the full Council.
http://www.ich.gov/
Even universal coverage could leave many Americans vulnerable to bankruptcy unless such coverage was more comprehensive than many current policies.
David U. Himmelstein, Elizabeth Warren, Deborah Thorne, and Steffie Woolhandler
Health Affairs - Project HOPE–The People-to-People Health Foundation - February 2005
DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.w5.63 - 2005 Web Exclusives
Available online at: http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w5.63/DC1
[posted on PAHO/WHO Equity Listserv]
Analyzing Urban Poverty: A Summary of Methods and Approaches
Judy Baker, and Nina Schuler
World Bank Research - Working Paper No.: 3399 September, 2004
Full Text: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [77p.] at: http://econ.worldbank.org/files/38383_wps3399.pdf
“….In recent years an extensive body of literature has emerged on the definition, measurement, and analysis of poverty. Much of this literature focuses on analyzing poverty at the national level, or spatial disaggregation by general categories of urban or rural areas, with adjustments made for regional price differentials.
Yet for an individual city attempting to tackle the problems of urban poverty, this level of aggregation is not sufficient for answering specific questions such as where the poor are located in the city, whether there are differences between poor areas, if access to services varies by subgroup, whether specific programs are reaching the poorest, and how to design effective poverty reduction programs and policies. Answering these questions is critical, particularly for large, sprawling cities with highly diverse populations and growing problems of urban poverty.
[posted on Pan American Health Organization EQUITY Listserv]
TechMission was formed in 2000 to support Christian community computer centers across the world in their effort to provide access, skills and relationships needed to succeed in the information age.
The key goal of TechMission is to assist churches and Christian organizations to become a major driving force behind computer literacy just as they were with basic literacy. Although all of the centers on our list are faith-based and have a Christian character, TechMission is a non-denominational, non-profit Christian social service organization. A key emphasis of TechMission is outreach, which includes serving everyone regardless of their religious beliefs.
See their website at http://www.techmission.org/
A national conference will be held in Boston, July 8-9, 2005 http://www.techmission.org/training/national.php
The following two resources were posted on Community Health News
Report to Help Hospitals Revise Financial Policies for Uninsured, Underinsured
AHA and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) today released "Hospitals Share Insights to Improve Financial Policies for Uninsured and Underinsured Patients," a report that is part of the joint AHA-HFMA Patient Friendly Billing Project. The report details insights from various hospitals on alternatives for reviewing and improving hospital financial policies for uninsured and underinsured patients. It notes that no single approach or set of solutions will apply to all hospitals. Soon to be sent to all hospitals, the report can be downloaded at: www.patientfriendlybilling.org.
Improving Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care
Access to adequate, affordable, and secure health insurance is essential to the U.S. health care system and the nation's economy. Without it, the doors to high-quality medical care will remain closed for many American families, and the possibility of catastrophic medical bills will continue to threaten their economic security. [Commonwealth Fund 2004 Annual Report] http://www.cmwf.org/annreprt/2004/prg_access01.htm The PDF file for the report is available at http://www.cmwf.org/annreprt/2004/pdf/AR2004_03_prg_access.pdf
[posted on Community Health News]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new consolidated Spanish Web site as part of its ongoing effort to provide environmental information both in Spanish and English.
The new site compiles EPA’s Spanish language materials on a wide variety of areas from lead poisoning prevention to controlling asthma triggers, recycling to proper management of pesticides. The site was developed through a series of focus groups to respond to the environmental needs and interests of Hispanics.
In addition to environmental health information, the site also offers educational resources for students and teachers who often seek Spanish language learning tools on the environment. The site also provides information about EPA grants, small business opportunities and environmental jobs at EPA.
To view EPA’s Spanish site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/espanol .
[thanks to Nanette Bedrosky]
Catholic Campaign For Human Development has designated January as Poverty Awareness Month. Take a look at their website "Poverty USA" http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/ The "Poverty Tour" outlines basic essentials of a family of four; the "Poverty Map" provides statistics by state. There are also educational activities for grades k-5, 6-12 and Adult. [thanks to Richard Jizba]