Advanced Indigenous health by providing mobile HIV/STI testing, education, and culturally responsive interventions.
Author: Disparity Matters
When physician assistant Jahidah La Roche arrived for a routine colonoscopy, the nurse quickly declared her veins difficult to access and attributed it to dehydration. La Roche knew otherwise. After requesting the nurse try her other arm, a vein became clearly visible and the IV insertion succeeded without issue.This seemingly minor incident reflects a pervasive problem in American healthcare. La Roche explains that racial bias doesn’t always manifest as blatant discrimination but appears in small moments—a sigh, a glance, a provider who stops trying too soon. These interactions accumulate and shape how Black patients experience medicine, from routine procedures to…
For 40-year-old Tamika Smith, the decision to decline organ donor registration is rooted in a lifetime of medical dismissal. After spending years in debilitating pain and seeing nine gynecologists before finally receiving an endometriosis diagnosis, her refusal stems from deep-seated suspicion. “I stay on top of my preventative care, but I don’t trust them,” Smith says of the medical system, describing her interactions with healthcare providers as “toxic.”This sentiment reflects a broader crisis of confidence. A recent survey reveals that 57.6% of Black adults do not believe Black patients receive the same respect and dignity as other transplant patients. Lillie…
Rheumatoid arthritis patients from racial and ethnic minority groups are far less likely than white patients to receive the standard drugs that slow joint damage and disability, according to a new analysis of federal data. Researchers using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey found that 23.9% of white adults reporting rheumatoid arthritis were taking a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), compared with just 14.1% of Black patients, 18.8% of Hispanic patients, 7.9% of Asian patients, and 12.6% of those identifying as other or multiple ethnicitiesThese gaps persisted even after adjusting for income, education, insurance, region, and other chronic illnesses, highlighting a stark…
A new report from Propel ATL reveals a disturbing pattern of racial disparity in traffic fatalities across Metro Atlanta. In 2024, more than 61 percent of all traffic deaths occurred in predominantly Black neighborhoods, even though these areas represent only 43 percent of census tracts in the five-county region covering Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett.The 425 traffic fatalities actually exceeded the region’s 410-plus homicides, yet receive far less attention. Rebecca Serna, Propel ATL’s Executive Director, notes that these deaths reflect systemic inequities rather than random accidents. Black neighborhoods often lack basic safety infrastructure like sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes…
Prostate cancer mortality rates reveal stark racial inequalities, with Black men dying at twice the rate of White men despite having only 67 percent higher incidence rates, according to a new American Cancer Society report released today. Native American men face similarly troubling disparities, experiencing 12 percent higher mortality than White men while actually having 13 percent lower incidence.The report documents an alarming reversal in progress. After declining 6.4 percent annually from 2007 to 2014, prostate cancer rates have climbed 3 percent per year since 2014, with late-stage diagnoses surging by nearly 5 percent annually. Meanwhile, mortality improvements have slowed…
Despite a slight national decline in fetal deaths, significant racial disparities persist, with Black, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander women experiencing the highest rates of fetal mortality. According to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics, the provisional 2024 fetal mortality rate for Black women remained alarmingly high at 9.96 per 1,000 live births and fetal deaths. Similarly, the rate for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander women was the highest among all groups at 10.21.In stark contrast, the fetal mortality rate for Asian women was the lowest at 3.91, followed by White women at 4.54…
Preterm birth has become a blunt measure of how uneven maternal health outcomes remain across the United States, with communities of color facing the heaviest risks. Nationally, 10.4% of babies were born before 37 weeks of pregnancy in 2024, earning the U.S. a D+ rating and placing it behind many other high-income countries, according to recent data highlighted in a new analysis.The picture is especially stark in Texas. More than 43,000 babies there were born prematurely in 2024, a rate of 11.1% that exceeds the national average. Ten of the 46 U.S. cities receiving failing grades for preterm birth rates…
Peripheral artery disease afflicts millions of Americans, but Black patients bear a disproportionate burden of devastating outcomes. While Black and White Americans develop the disease at similar rates, the trajectory diverges sharply from there.Black patients experience amputation rates up to 65 percent higher than White patients, along with elevated mortality rates. They consistently receive guideline-directed therapies less frequently than White patients. Despite presenting more often with advanced disease requiring urgent intervention, Black patients undergo revascularization procedures less often. Even when they do receive procedures, complications and first-year amputations occur at higher rates.Multiple factors drive these disparities, including income level, insurance…
Gestational diabetes has climbed relentlessly across America since 2016, but the burden falls disproportionately on women from minority communities, according to new research from Northwestern Medicine analyzing over 12 million births.The condition increased 36% nationally from 2016 to 2024, yet rates among American Indian and Alaska Native women reached 137 per 1,000 births—nearly double the national average. Asian women experienced 131 cases per 1,000 births, while Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women saw 126 per 1,000.By contrast, white women had 71 cases per 1,000 births and Black women 67 per 1,000. Hispanic women fell in between at 85 per 1,000.Dr.…