Archive for the ‘Access’ Category

Forty years ago, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling to recognize a woman’s right to privacy when deciding whether or not to terminate a pregnancy. It was a dramatic and remarkable decision — in addition to legalizing abortion for American women, Roe v. Wade invalidated laws that were on the books in nearly two-thirds of states banning abortion in almost all circumstances.

Since then, while a woman’s right to control her personal reproductive decisions has been enshrined in constitutional law, it has been far from safe from politicians who are determined to control women and erode our bodily autonomy. Lawmakers in Virginia and across the country have been quietly chipping away at Roe v. Wade for years, and seem to have discovered the “secret” to successful elimination of safe, legal abortion — albeit not through the Supreme Court. (more…)

Last week at Planned Parenthood’s national conference, President Obama spoke about the need to continue funding for the important work that the organization is doing. (See video below.) Obama’s official “blessing” of Planned Parenthood has caused quite a stir. The organization is regularly targeted by conservative politicians for some of the services it provides, including birth control and in-clinic abortions. With the pro-life movement taking aim at abortion laws around the country and right- and left-wing politicians shoring up their bases of support, it often gets lost in the shuffle that Planned Parenthood provides a lot more than abortions. (more…)

Imagine yourself as a young woman who by all accounts appears healthy. One day you experience flu like symptoms, see your physician, and are sent home with the usual: sleep, hydrate, take two of these, and you get better. But do you? Some time passes and you become sick again, this time with a different gamut of symptoms including recurring infections, joint pains, headaches, fatigue, depression, rashes, etc.  As a result, you find yourself in and out of this complicated domestic health care delivery system, seeing one physician/specialist after another and are left with little to no answers.

Fast forward a few years. You’re now in your mid-twenties and have found a personal physician who took the time to listen to your story of diverse symptoms. After reviewing your current symptoms, laboratory tests, and medical history, you finally have the answer to the question you’ve been asking yourself for years: Why am I always sick? You have systemic lupus. (more…)

For all the attention that the world’s aid organizations and news outlets have brought to bear on Haiti, one of the most significant factors that has contributed to the present crisis has been ignored: the desperate lives of Haiti’s women and girls. A lack of education, limited access to reproductive health care, and the rape and violence that Haitian women face have led to a country with a staggeringly poor set of vital statistics. These include a high maternal and infant mortality rate and a high illiteracy rate, with only half the population able to read and write. With 43 percent of the population under 18 years of age and a bleak future for many young men, continued violence and political instability are likely. Unfortunately, as we have seen in other countries, a bleak economic outlook for young men produces a mix of frustration and aggression that is taken out on girls and women. Incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault were at epidemic proportions before the earthquake and will undoubtedly continue for some time. (more…)

The traditional (and archaic) practice of medicine involves a physician prescribing a treatment plan to a patient, with little to no participation by that patient. In this construct, patients are the passive recipients of treatment and care that is generally episodic, based upon illness, disease or urgent care. This system limits the opportunities to improve the patient’s–your--health status. If we are continually not “in the know” or considered part of the care team, how can we as patients gain the knowledge we need to improve our health?

Peggy Jo’s Experience

A patient friend of mine is dying of an undiagnosed disease. Her name is Peggy Jo, and over the past seven years she has experienced multiple brain bleeds and numerous hemangiomas (benign tumors made up of blood vessels), was placed in a medical coma and had multiple surgeries.  Each time she enters a new hospital, it is up to her to make sure that all of her files are transferred. (more…)

For the past several years I have run this post and just as it was those years, it is this year a very important message.

We, as a nation, have made progress and I believe Dr. King would be proud. But our work is far from complete – particularly where health care is concerned. Another doctor, Dr. John M. Eisenberg, a physician of tremendous stature whose life was also tragically cut short (not by an assassin’s bullet but by brain cancer) was equally passionate about the dignity of life and justice for all Americans. Dr. Eisenberg, who among other things, served as the Director of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (as AHRQ was known back in the day), cared deeply about access to and the integrity of health care for all Americans – regardless of skin color. (more…)

This has been a watershed year for health care and health policy. With the survival of the Affordable Care Act – having been confirmed as constitutional by the Supreme Court back in June – and the rise of health IT, it is safe to say that 2012 left its mark on our country’s health care delivery system.

Rather than looking back and reflecting on the triumphs and failures of the past year, in the interest of being disruptive, we’re instead taking this opportunity, on the very last day of the year, to look forward. (more…)

Yesterday the Atlantic held the second of three events in its Community Health Tour, in which leaders on the frontlines of community health join panelists in a conversation to identify and solve problems. Yesterday’s conversation in St. Louis, MO featured panelists Robert Fruend, CEO of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission; Joy Krieger, Executive Director of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, St. Louis Chapter; Melba Moore, Health Commissioner for the City of St. Louis; and Dr. Jason Purnell, Assistant Professor at the Brown School of Social Work and Public Health at Washington University.

The panelists weighed in on the progress being made and challenges to be reckoned with in St. Louis. Socioeconomic disparities remain one of the toughest hurdles to overcome in creating healthier communities. Low incomes and lack of education and information tend to be indicators of other health factors such as smoking and poor diet. Add this to a general lack of access to health services and you begin to see a population that is becoming sicker over time, unable to tackle either disease management or prevention. (more…)

The awareness of breast cancer and the companion calls-to-action have truly been amplified during this decade. Recently, in honor of breast cancer awareness, football teams wore pink sneakers, the so-called “real” refs wore pink wrist bands, the well-promoted and participated Susan G. Komen three-day walk ended with the usual enthusiasm and broadcast media attention.

Back in the late nineties, I worked at a corporation that was centered on women’s health. We proactively reached out to organizations associated with women’s health, including Susan G. Komen, and offered to bring our resources to bear to assist in raising awareness and amplifying their messages. In those days the only talk about breast cancer seemed to occur when a teary-eyed friend or co-worker would whisper that she discovered a lump. So it is all wonderful that this health issue and the call to get mammograms have reached the population at large such that even teenage boys drive cars with pink ribbons on them. However, all of this awareness masks some serious issues. (more…)

Earlier this year, Disruptive Women in Health Care launched a partnership with the EPA where we will be examining issues of health and the environment as they relate to women and children. The primary focus of this partnership will be a series of ebooks that looks at topics where women’s health and the environment intersect, and these will be accompanied by special events co-hosted by Disruptive Women and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. (more…)

If you’re a parent, back to school time means endless preparation – does your child have the right teacher, the right backpack, the right school supplies, the right jeans? Not to mention that you have to find that piece of paper that proves your child has the right vaccinations. And what if they’re not up to date? How are you going to get to the doctor’s office between vacations, work, and life’s demands that pull you in 1,000 different directions?

Well, if your child is one of the estimated 1.7 million that has a school-based health center (SBHC) in his or her school, then you won’t have to figure out how they will get that vaccine or any of the other health care they might need. SBHCs provide primary care, mental and behavioral health, preventive and oral health services to kids and teens where they are: in school. (more…)

In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act, a decision that has many implications for the future of healthcare.  We’ve put together a quick round-up of resources to help break down the ruling and what it means to different people.

In case you missed it, you might want to take a look at the Justices’ opinion in full (PDF). And if the almost 200-page-long document is a little dense for you, thank goodness SCOTUSblog author Amy Howe has written it up in plain English.

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By Laura Harwood. On June 19^th, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Washington, DC office convened a public forum to discuss the gaps in dental coverage, access and care in the United States, especially among the low-income nonelderly adult population, who are more likely to be uninsured than low-income children. Despite the expanded provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to help ensure better public and private dental coverage for children, significant access and cost-related challenges remain.

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By Elliot Patton. Close to 26 million Americans suffer from asthma, including 1 out of every 10 children, and asthma costs our economy about $56 billion per year.  The condition affects racial and ethnic minorities at a dramatically disproportionate rate; African American and Puerto Rican children under the age of 17 are twice as likely as their Caucasian counterparts to be affected by this respiratory condition.  Asthma rates are also correlated with income, with lower income individuals having a significantly higher chance of affliction.  In addition to increased prevalence of asthma in minority populations, minority individuals with asthma are much more likely to have a serious asthma-related health event; black asthmatic children are twice as likely as white children to be hospitalized and four times more likely to die as a result of their condition.

In an event that marked the beginning of a push to end the suffering of these underserved populations, government leaders met yesterday at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington for the official release of the Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities.  White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Nancy Sutley, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Shaun Donovan, and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius discussed the significance of the action plan, and a 10 member panel delved deeper into the details of the coordinated effort to reduce racial and ethnic asthma disparities.

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By Robin Strongin. It is amazing to think that four years have gone by since the Disruptive Women blog started.  The blog aims to be forward-thinking, provocative, and – of course – a little disruptive and continues to be thanks to the great content and innovative ideas from our bloggers.  Through our bloggers and guest contributors we have been able to establish a dynamic dialogue about the health challenges facing our nation, and now, our world.

It gives me great pleasure to announce our newest eBook, A Global Conversation:  Improving the Health of Vulnerable Communities.  The book aims to focus the conversation on global health initiatives, discoveries, and best practices.  The contributors put together their knowledge from a variety of countries, levels of poverty and industrialization, several on-site experiences, and well-founded educational backgrounds in order to provide a more comprehensive idea of today’s global health.  As technology continues to rapidly expand making our lives dramatically easier, it is important to remember the places where things like childbirth, lack of immunization, and diseases could mean the end of someone’s life.

I must give a tremendous amount of thanks to our Disruptive Women Intern, Elita Wong.  This intelligent and insightful young woman set forth the ideas behind this eBook and blog series.  Additionally, I would like to thank our Disruptive Women community and all of our guest contributors.  A big thank you also goes out to Hope Ditto and Andre Blackman for their critical assistance.  Finally, thanks to David Lee for his beautiful design which elevated our eBook to an incredible dimension.

As Disruptive Women friends, it means so much to me to share this wonderful collection of work with you.  I encourage you to use your global power, whether it is through blogs, twitter, or Facebook, and share these stories with the world.  The greater awareness we can create around today’s global health environment, the more possibility someone will decide to get disruptive and make positive changes.

Download the ebook here.