Health News Roundup

Maternity care deserts, and more in this week’s roundup

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Pulse oximeters may misread oxygen levels in people of color. The FDA wants to change that
Matthew Perrone, The Associated Press, Jan. 6
A proposal by the Food and Drug Administration would require makers of pulse oximeters to gather extra data to show that their products work for patients of color. Pulse oximeters are clip-on devices that quickly measure oxygen levels in a patient’s blood. However, a study found the devices tend to overestimate Black patients’ oxygen levels, which could lead to delays in getting treatment and increased risks of death. The FDA said it wants the companies that make the devices to conduct larger studies and include more patients from different racial groups.

Fewer new Black, Hispanic med students post-SCOTUS ruling
Maya Goldman, Axios, Jan. 14
Fewer first-year Black and Hispanic medical students were enrolled in the year following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in higher education. According to new data, 11.6% fewer Black students and 10.8% fewer Hispanic students began their first year at a medical school in 2024 compared to the previous year. Research shows that a diverse physician workforce can improve patient outcomes. Attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at higher education institutions could further erode medical school diversity, according to experts.

Midwives blame California rules for hampering birth centers amid maternity care crisis
Ronnie Cohen, KFF Health News, Jan. 15
Women across California are forced to travel long distances to give birth as hospitals increasingly close maternity units, especially in rural areas. Local officials in northeastern California have a plan for a birth center where midwives could deliver babies with backup from on-call doctors and a standby perinatal unit at the hospital, but state health officials have yet to approve it. Maternal health advocates said these midwife-operated centers offer an alternative for women with low-risk pregnancies and fill the gap left by maternity ward closures.

More than others, Black women die from all types of breast cancer. Survivors are fighting to reverse the trend
Katti Gray, MLK50, Dec. 23
For some Black women, distrust of medical systems, stigma about cancer, and miseducation are among the factors resulting in them disproportionately and increasingly being diagnosed with breast cancer in its later, most dangerous stages. Black women who have survived breast cancer are now advocating for self-exams and routine mammograms, talking to other women in the places they work, live, and worship. They are bringing mobile mammogram units that screen privately insured women and low-income patients into neighborhoods.

New nasal test said to ID asthma subtypes in kids
Erin Blakemore, The Washington Post, Jan. 12
Asthma comes in different subtypes, but diagnosing those subtypes has historically been difficult. Typically, it relies on an invasive procedure that can be difficult to perform on a child. However, newly published research presents an alternative: a nasal swab test that can accurately diagnose a child’s asthma subtype. Researchers used the new tests in studies of mostly Puerto Rican and Black children– groups disproportionately affected by asthma. Understanding a child’s asthma type can help target treatment. It can also lead to trials of what researchers called much-needed therapies for the type of asthma that was most commonly found in these studies.