Health Disparities

Nearly 10,000 people in West Baltimore are diagnosed each year with new cases of diabetes, hypertension and other treatable, chronic health conditions — enough to fill 24 jumbo jets. These illnesses will kill many of them and complications will disable others who may end up in wheelchairs or have limbs amputated because they didn't get the proper medical care. This is the evidence the West Baltimore Primary Care Access Collaborative, a coalition of 16 hospitals and nonprofit organizations, gave state health officials as they sought to join a state program that provides financial incentives in an effort to curb health disparities in the state through the creation of special zones.

In response to your editorial about programs in Baltimore's Oliver neighborhood, I would like to highlight the efforts of Baltimore HELPS (Healthy Eating Leading Partnerships for Seniors), an initiative being led by Medicare's Quality Improvement Organization in Maryland ("Fixing Oliver," March 13). As noted in the editorial, there is wide variation in life expectancy in the city. In fact, life expectancy in the Oliver neighborhood is approximately 20 years less than other areas in the city.

In response to your editorial about programs in Baltimore's Oliver neighborhood, I would like to highlight the efforts of Baltimore HELPS (Healthy Eating Leading Partnerships for Seniors), an initiative being led by Medicare's Quality Improvement Organization in Maryland ("Fixing Oliver," March 13). As noted in the editorial, there is wide variation in life expectancy in the city. In fact, life expectancy in the Oliver neighborhood is approximately 20 years less than other areas in the city.

Commentator Harry Alford's claim that focusing on fracking legislation in Maryland constitutes a waste of time and effort suggests a shocking ignorance of what is happening in other states ("Anti-fracking legislation is premature," March 7). Maryland's proposed fracking bills are designed to create an orderly, safe process that states elsewhere have not achieved. How can the Black Chamber of Commerce claim to seek economic empowerment for African-American communities, yet support the natural gas industry?

Many Latinos in Baltimore lack medical coverage, which contributes to problems such as fewer mothers getting prenatal care, according to a new report that takes the first comprehensive look at the group's health. The report, released Thursday by the city Health Department, compiled data from the U.S. Census, state health records and a survey of Latino residents to assess the needs of a rapidly growing group that is often left out of the health system. The study found Latinos, with limited access to medical care, often rely on community clinics.

Why do some people get sicker and die sooner than others? The answer involves more than our genes, behaviors and medical care, according to a new study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the advocacy group Equity Inc. It turns out that where we live is often the strongest predictor of our well-being, and that disparities along racial and class lines in health outcomes and access to care mirror the inequities in every other aspect...

The state has assembled a work group of top health professionals to come up with ways to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic groups, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown announced Thursday. The seven-member panel, to be headed by Dr. E. Albert Reece, dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will identify new legislation and financial incentives that can be used to bring equality to healthcare. While studies have shown the overall life expectancy in the United States has improved, there are still large differences between the health of minorities and that of whites.

For the first time in history, slightly more than half of newborn Americans are people of color. It is projected that by 2050, the majority of Americans will be from minority populations. This demographic shift has serious implications on a myriad of fronts, especially for the nation's overall health. The unfortunate truth is that nonwhite populations as a whole live sicker and die younger than their white counterparts. And black populations tend to be among the sickest. But the racial health divide doesn't end at our shores.

Most parents would be dismayed to see their child come home with a "D" on their report card. They would want to know how they and the school can work together to improve the child's scholastic performance. With the announcement that the Baltimore City Health Department has given the very same grade to the city's efforts to reduce health inequities, will residents demand accountability, involvement and improvement? In a remarkable report, the agency reviewed trends regarding a number of health indicators of residents of the city and the state and found that Baltimore's inhabitants fared worse than the state on 13 of 14 indicators.

Study after study demonstrates that poverty is a powerful driver of poor health. Many of America's leading hospitals exist in poor communities. Could these powerful institutions (in economic as well as medical terms) help overcome the deeper sources of failing health among the 46 million Americans living in poverty? A little-known provision of Obamacare provides an unexpected opening. Section 9007 of the Affordable Care Act requires every nonprofit hospital to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years to engage the local community on its general health problems and explain how the hospital intends to address them.

Study after study demonstrates that poverty is a powerful driver of poor health. Many of America's leading hospitals exist in poor communities. Could these powerful institutions (in economic as well as medical terms) help overcome the deeper sources of failing health among the 46 million Americans living in poverty? A little-known provision of Obamacare provides an unexpected opening. Section 9007 of the Affordable Care Act requires every nonprofit hospital to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years to engage the local community on its general health problems and explain how the hospital intends to address them.

Nearly 10,000 people in West Baltimore are diagnosed each year with new cases of diabetes, hypertension and other treatable, chronic health conditions — enough to fill 24 jumbo jets. These illnesses will kill many of them and complications will disable others who may end up in wheelchairs or have limbs amputated because they didn't get the proper medical care. This is the evidence the West Baltimore Primary Care Access Collaborative, a coalition of 16 hospitals and nonprofit organizations, gave state health officials as they sought to join a state program that provides financial incentives in an effort to curb health disparities in the state through the creation of special zones.

The O'Malley administration kicked off an effort to bring medical services to disadvantaged neighborhoods Thursday by designating the state's first five "health enterprise zones" created under a law passed last year. Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, who led the administration's efforts to launch the $4 million-a-year pilot project, said the five zones will be located in West Baltimore, Annapolis, Capitol Heights (Prince George's County), Greater Lexington Park (St. Mary's County) and Dorchester-Caroline counties.

Why do some people get sicker and die sooner than others? The answer involves more than our genes, behaviors and medical care, according to a new study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the advocacy group Equity Inc. It turns out that where we live is often the strongest predictor of our well-being, and that disparities along racial and class lines in health outcomes and access to care mirror the inequities in every other aspect...

Another study is adding to growing evidence that the condition of a neighborhood can have a significant impact on its residents' health. The latest by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and Equity Matters Inc. found that people living in Baltimore's lower-income neighborhoods had worse health outcomes than those in its more affluent areas. Life expectancy varied by as much as 30 years between the city's poorest and wealthiest neighborhoods between 2005 and 2009, the study found.

The case for building a new teaching hospital inPrince George's Countyassociated with the University of Maryland Medical System got a boost from a health study released Wednesday, but the question remains how the county and state would pay for it. The report released by state and local health and government officials detailed the county's health problems and what the new $600 million hospital complex that would replace Prince George's Hospital Center...

The health-care reform bills making their way through Congress have focused on improving access to care for millions of uninsured Americans while slowing rapidly rising health-care costs. But there is another side to the health-care crisis that has been mostly neglected. A study that we performed for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington-based think tank, found that, between 2003 and 2006, 30.6 percent of medical care expenditures for African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics were excess costs that were the result of inequities in the health of these groups.

Another study is adding to growing evidence that the condition of a neighborhood can have a significant impact on its residents' health. The latest by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and Equity Matters Inc. found that people living in Baltimore's lower-income neighborhoods had worse health outcomes than those in its more affluent areas. Life expectancy varied by as much as 30 years between the city's poorest and wealthiest neighborhoods between 2005 and 2009, the study found.

For the first time in history, slightly more than half of newborn Americans are people of color. It is projected that by 2050, the majority of Americans will be from minority populations. This demographic shift has serious implications on a myriad of fronts, especially for the nation's overall health. The unfortunate truth is that nonwhite populations as a whole live sicker and die younger than their white counterparts. And black populations tend to be among the sickest. But the racial health divide doesn't end at our shores.