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Black patients less likely to receive certain pain relief post-surgery, new research suggests
Jacqueline Howard, CNN, Oct. 20
Black patients are less likely to receive a combination of certain pain medications post-surgery even though they have been found to be more effective than opioids alone at managing discomfort. Experts argue that the use of multiple types of medications to reduce pain can also decrease the use of dangerously addictive opioids. A new study found that Black patients were about 74% more likely than white patients to receive opioid pills in their post-surgery recovery.
Black women face a maternal health crisis. Advocates want to make that a US election issue.
Bianca Flowers and Disha Raychaudhuri, Reuters, Oct. 22
Advocates are trying to use the upcoming election to raise awareness about reproductive health inequities impacting Black women. In the United States, Black women experience higher rates of pregnancy and delivery complications and deaths, and higher rates of certain cancers. Experts said abortion restrictions have also made it more difficult for Black women to access emergency care in cases of failing pregnancies or complications from medical abortions. “The landscape for reproductive health for Black women has gotten far more dangerous in the last two and a half years,” said Leah Wright Rigueur, a history professor at Johns Hopkins University.
Amid national debate, CT abortion protections are strong. But payments can fall short, providers say
Sujata Srinivasan, Connecticut Public Radio, Oct. 22
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, Planned Parenthood is seeing more people coming to Connecticut for out-of-state abortion care. The right to an abortion in Connecticut has been codified in state law for decades. However, access to abortion care can still be a challenge for low-income patients, especially those who are marginalized by both income and race. Medicaid reimbursement rates for physicians for abortion services are low in Connecticut. Some lawmakers are looking to increase those rates as well as expand access to doula services.
Adult day centers offer multicultural hubs for older people of color
Devi Shastri and Laura Bargfeld, The Associated Press, Oct. 17
Adult day centers are the most racially diverse long-term care setting in the United States. Many of these centers tailor their offerings to the foods, traditions, and cultures of their clientele. They also often serve as key resource hubs for older people of color and immigrants. However, day centers serve the least amount of people of all long-term care settings, in part because of the cost and limited coverage options. Older immigrants who may lack transportation or have language barriers can face isolation. The centers offer an opportunity for socialization, which experts said can hold off depression, motivate people to stay active, and ease symptoms of dementia.
Philadelphia hospitals drop race-based algorithms
Adriel Bettleheim, Axios, Oct. 22
A group of 13 Philadelphia-area health systems will no longer be using race-based algorithms to help make clinical decisions for lung, kidney, and OBGYN care. The hospitals said those algorithms incorporate outdated assumptions about biological differences between races. Officials said removing race adjustments will speed up diagnoses for Black patients with chronic kidney disease, Black and Asian patients with lung disease, and pregnant Black people. “By eliminating race adjustments in clinical decision support tools, we can help to dismantle harmful stereotypes and ensure that everyone receives the care they deserve, regardless of their race or ethnicity,” said Rosangely Cruz-Rojas, vice president and chief diversity & equity officer for Main Line Health.