WVON

People who engage in drug use or high-risk behaviors associated with drug use put themselves at risk for contracting or transmitting viral infections, such as HIV and AIDS. Drug use and addiction have been linked with… HIV/AIDS since AIDS was first identified as a disease. Drugs also impair judgment and can cause people to make risky decisions, including having unprotected sex. Ongoing substance abuse can cause severe health problems over time, even in previously healthy individuals. With regard to HIV and AIDS, substance abuse plays a significant factor in infection and disease progression. Black Americans now account for about half of all new HIV infections in the United States, and nearly two-thirds of all cases among women. Injection drug use is the 2nd leading cause of HIV infection for Black women and the 3rd leading cause of infection for Black men. Black women’s HIV diagnosis rates are 15 times higher than White women and is among the leading causes of death among Black women in the US.

The COVID-19 outbreak was declared as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Doctors form an essential part of an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have critical roles in diagnosis, containment and treatment, and their commitment… to treat despite increased personal risks is essential for a successful public health response. Emerging threats of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 demand much more than doctors continue to work as normal. Pandemics may necessitate longer hours (and corresponding increased exposure to the virus), potential quarantines and assignments outside one’s normal specialty. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has left us with new and complicated health issues such as long haul COVID. Studies show that long-haul COVID-19 afflicts 1 in 4 COVID patients, regardless of severity.

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women, as well as the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Once a patient is diagnosed, they are considered a “Survivor”. Survivorship begins at diagnosis… and continues during treatment and through a person’s life. Because cancer treatments and overall journeys are different for everyone, survivorship is one the most complicated parts of having cancer.

All people should have a fair and just opportunity to live a longer, healthier life free from cancer regardless of who they are. Cancer is a disease that can affect anyone, but it doesn’t affect… everyone equally. Many barriers can impact a person’s ability to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. These barriers are because of deeply rooted, long-standing inequities at all levels of society that will take an intentional effort to address in order to have equal cancer outcomes. They are complex and have many social, economic, and cultural influences that intertwine and impact each other. Because many different factors can influence cancer treatment disparities, addressing them is not always simple or straightforward. Reducing or eliminating some cancer disparities in the pursuit of health equity will require policy changes to overcome systemic social, racial, and/or institutional inequalities.

Uterine fibroids and endometriosis are gynecological issues with similarities in symptoms including abnormal uterine bleeding and chronic pelvic pain and can significantly impact a woman’s quality of life, fertility, and pregnancy outcomes. Some racial and ethnic… groups carry an increased burden of disease for these conditions. Both conditions disproportionately affect Black women. Uterine fibroids are more common and severe among Black women. In fact, 80% of Black women will develop fibroids by age 50, three times the rate of other racial groups. It is important to bring awareness to the differences in prevalence of fibroids and endometriosis by race in order to improve health outcomes and quality of life for Black women.

Although Black people make up just 13% of the United States population, they make up about 35% of people with kidney failure in the U.S. Kidney disease in Black people is a major public health issue. For… patients with kidney failure, a transplant is the optimal treatment to improve quality of life and life expectancy. Yet, while Black people have three times the rate of end-stage kidney disease than Whites, they are less likely to receive a kidney transplant—especially from a live donor, which yields the best health outcomes. Instead of a transplant, Black people are more likely to remain on prolonged dialysis, which can lead to many painful and dangerous complications. Deeply rooted inequities in income, housing, education, employment, and other areas, contribute to the disproportionate burden of kidney failure born by Black people. In addition, many also fear the medical system due to a long history of racist practices.

Researchers have observed increases in substance use and drug overdoses in the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic also presents unique challenges for people with substance… use disorders and those in recovery. For example, people with substance use disorders are at increased risks for poor COVID-19 outcomes. According to a 2020 research study, the high levels of stress, isolation and unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic could cause up to 75,000 “deaths of despair” related to deaths to drug, alcohol, and suicide. Some people who use substances may have also started new drugs if their usual substances became more difficult to access. People are more stressed and isolated, so they make unhealthy decisions.

The social determinants of health describe factors at the individual and community level that can impact your health outcomes. For example, socioeconomic status, education, food security, and safe housing are all factors that can determine your… health outcomes. Individuals in the Black community are often confronted with factors at the individual and community level that have caused various health disparities. One of the most considerable health disparities in the Black community occurs among common chronic illnesses. According to the Office of Minority Health, Black people are at higher risk for various chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Regarding cancer, Black people have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial/ethnic group for most cancers. Prostate cancer death rates among Black men are more than double of any other racial/ethnic group, and breast cancer death rates among black women are 40% greater than in White women. These disparities are often tied to factors, such as living in segregated communities, racial discrimination within the healthcare setting, and other social factors like education and income. More than one-third of cancer deaths among American adults aged 25-74 could be prevented by eliminating socioeconomic disparities.

Sickle cell disease, an inherited disorder of the red blood cells, is more common in Black people in the U.S. compared to other ethnicities—occurring in approximately 1 in 365 Black people. This disease can cause substantial,… long-term, and costly health problems, including infections, stroke, and kidney failure, many of which can reduce life expectancy. Medicine is a mirror for the racial injustice in our society; it is a field riddled with racial disparities in everything from research funding to patient care to life expectancy. Patients with it are too often marginalized and dismissed while seeking medical care when their bodies hurt and they cannot breathe.

In the weeks immediately after the pandemic spread to the United States, disadvantaged communities were faced with reduced access to care, a widening digital divide and inadequate supplies. Community health workers play a pivotal role in… fighting the pandemic, especially in areas with less resilient health systems by helping maintain equitable access to services. A report from 2020 found that throughout the pandemic, community health workers have performed over 9,600 wellness checks via telephone, helped nearly 3,400 people prepare for telehealth appointments, and conducted remote health coaching sessions with more than 600 patients. They are especially well-poised to meet healthcare’s most current problems: COVID-19 and a reckoning with racial health disparities and health inequities. They also play critical roles in increasing vaccination and can be a tremendous asset to community-based COVID-19 emergency response teams.

Nearly 48% of Black women and 44% of Black men have some form of heart disease. The rate of heart disease is also higher in the growing middle and upper-class Black community than in White Americans with similar… socioeconomic status. Why is this happening? Statistics show that Black people have higher rates of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes – common conditions that increase the risk of heart disease. Genetic factors also add to these higher rates, as do societal factors, such as gaps in income and education. Discrimination and health care access can have a profound impact on treatment and health outcomes. Education and awareness are just the beginning.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are increasing in prevalence. There may be almost 14 million Americans with these conditions by 2060. There will be four times… as many Black people with these conditions by 2060 than there are now. Black people are approximately twice as likely to develop dementia as compared to White people. This disparity is often linked to a combination of socioeconomic, psychosocial, and circulatory system risk factors. In addition, literacy and quality of education over the lifespan, as well as markers, like hypertension and diabetes may account for a large proportion of racial differences in cognitive performance. Cognitive impairment and dementia (CID) increases the risk of disability, burden of illness, and costs.