Inequities

Health care providers often rely on digital tools to inform treatment decisions. A growing number of hospitals are moving away from factoring race into kidney disease calculations, after recognizing Black patients could be at a disadvantage.

Congress rejected pleas from the White House to pump more money into programs that ensure COVID tests, treatments and vaccines are free for everyone. Public health experts warn the funding cuts will worsen health disparities and hurt those who are already most vulnerable.

U.S. hospitalization rates more than doubled during the latest omicron wave compared to the prior delta wave, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black adults were more likely to end up hospitalized than White adults, regardless of their vaccination status.

A year ago, the CEOs of Indiana’s four largest hospital systems promised to address racism in health care. Hospital leaders shared updates on their progress at a virtual forum this week, hosted by the Greater Indianapolis NAACP and the Indianapolis Recorder.

New research finds a strong association between a rare genetic mutation and early-onset heart failure and hospitalization among Black Americans. Patients of African descent carrying this genetic mutation developed heart failure four years earlier than those not carrying it.

COVID has handed society the biggest natural experiment in health and economic equity – and social scientists say the scorecard is far from stellar.

People with higher education levels tend to live longer, healthier lives. But some African American kids in low-income communities are faced with many barriers that keep them from receiving the education they need. One man in a majority black neighborhood in Indianapolis hopes football can help keep kids in school and out of trouble.

Tarkington Park has been the go-to destination for the Black community in Indianapolis for years, but the neighborhood where the park is located is at the intersection of stark racial, health and socioeconomic disparities.

The U.S. has secured more doses than the country’s COVID-19 vaccine needs. But around the world, millions of people have no access to vaccines in their home countries. And that makes some people travel thousands of miles to get a shot here in the U.S. — if they can afford it.

Sheila Muhammad tested positive for HIV more than 30 years ago and her life quickly changed. But as the years passed, attitudes and treatments of HIV changed. Muhammad spoke with Side Effects Public Media about the power in education and understanding of the virus.