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A few rural towns are bucking the trend and building new hospitals
Sarah Jane Tribble, KFF Health News, Sept. 27
Sublette County is the only county in Wyoming without a hospital. That is set to change in 2025 with a new 10-bed, 40,000 square foot hospital with a similarly sized attached long-term care facility. New hospitals are rare in rural America where there has been downsizing and closures for years. However, a few communities in Wyoming, Kansas, and Georgia are going against that trend. “To be honest with you, it even seems strange to me,” said Wyoming Hospital Association President Eric Boley. “Small rural hospitals are really struggling all across the country.”
New prescription drug price hikes hit Black patients hard
Claretta Bellamy, NBC News, Sept. 26
A new report found that the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs has disproportionately made them harder for people of color to afford. According to the report, pharmaceutical companies increased prices for 1,000 drugs so far this year. One in three Americans cannot afford their prescription drugs, with Black and Latino patients aged 65 and older twice as likely to not be able to afford their medication. “Black and Latino families are more likely to suffer from chronic conditions and certain cancers … that do require those long-term, very expensive drugs,” said Patients for Affordable Drugs’ executive director, Merith Basey.
Breast cancer continues to rise among younger women, study finds
Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times, Oct. 1
Rates of breast cancer climbed by one percent from 2012 to 2021, and even more sharply among women under age 50 and among Asian American/Pacific Islander women of all ages, according to a new report. The sharpest increases in young adults by age were among women in their 20s. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. While the vast majority of deaths occur among older women, this study is one of several pointing to a troubling uptick in younger Americans.
Pregnant people in CT can now apply for monthly cash assistance
Ginny Monk, The Connecticut Mirror, Sept. 27
A new program in Connecticut will give 500 new and expectant mothers monthly cash transfers. It is an effort to lift families out of poverty and support infants’ healthy development. The program is through a New York-based nonprofit, The Bridge Project. According to the organization, moms who participated in the program in other states were able to move into permanent housing, continue their education and improve their mental health, among other outcomes.
The latest frontier in housing inequity? Pet friendliness.
Susan Shain, The New York Times, Aug. 5
America’s renters, 59 percent of whom own pets, are more likely to be young, Black, Hispanic, or low-income than homeowners. Some advocates say that pet friendliness has become the latest frontier in housing inequity. Non-luxury listings are less likely to be pet friendly than luxury listings, and even pet-friendly rentals have restrictions on breeds and sizes and require additional pet fees. Advocates argue that breed restrictions disproportionately affect low-income renters. One study found that dogs were barred from less than a quarter of the listings in white neighborhoods, but more than half of the listings in Black neighborhoods.