Health Equity and Access Weekly Roundup: February 24, 2024

Dr Jun Gong: Improved Access Closes the Gaps Between Black, White Men With Prostate Cancer

Jun Gong, MD, discusses disparities in prostate cancer outcomes between Black and White men, citing socioeconomic and biological factors. Historical data show higher incidence and mortality rates among Black men, with recent research highlighting the impact of socioeconomic status and genetic differences on treatment response. Gong emphasizes the need for increased Black male representation in clinical trials to address these disparities systematically. Despite efforts, progress in trial diversity remains gradual, underscoring the ongoing necessity for tailored interventions to mitigate the gap in prostate cancer outcomes.

Access to Cancer Care Alleviates Racial Disparities in CLL/SLL

A study in the American Journal of Hematology found that equal access to cancer care reduces racial disparities in outcomes between Black and White patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). Despite initial differences in disease stage and time to treatment, when Black patients were treated with advanced therapies, such as small module inhibitors, their overall survival matched that of White patients. However, access disparities persist, highlighting the need for interventions to improve overall access to care.

Part 2: Dr James Robinson on the Impact of 340B Programs and Drug Pricing Policies

In a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, James Robinson, PhD, MPH, and his team analyze insurer drug expenditures on infused drugs and their impact on hospital price markups, especially focusing on 340B Drug Pricing Program–eligible hospitals. Robinson highlights how these markups exacerbate health care disparities, particularly affecting patients requiring expensive therapies. He discusses the inefficiency of the pharmaceutical supply chain and emphasizes how insurance plans with high cost sharing disproportionately disadvantage patients in need, often impacting lower-income individuals with limited coverage options.

Mental Health Plays Pivotal Role in US Maternal Mortality Rates

New research in JAMA Psychiatry underscores the crucial role of mental illness in maternal mortality rates, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive strategies during the perinatal period. The study reveals a high prevalence of perinatal psychiatric disorders linked to severe morbidity and mortality during delivery and postpartum, exacerbated by access limitations to care, particularly in regions lacking adequate clinicians. Maternal stress and trauma during pregnancy are associated with adverse outcomes, highlighting the importance of addressing these issues. The study stresses the need for interdisciplinary clinical training, improved insurance coverage parity, and integration of health care with community services to enhance prenatal care and outcomes, advocating for a coordinated effort to mitigate mental illness’s impact on maternal mortality.

Dr Leesha Ellis-Cox Confronts Racial Bias, Diagnosis Disparities in Mental Health Care

Psychiatrist Leesha Ellis-Cox, MD, MPH, discusses the ongoing disparities in bipolar disorder diagnosis rates among Black Americans in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care®. She attributes these disparities to racial bias in health care and social stigma, exacerbated by the underrepresentation of Black health care providers. Ellis-Cox emphasizes the need for providers to confront biases, advocate for cultural humility training, and eliminate stigma to ensure equitable mental health care for all communities.

Donald Trump Calls Joe Biden Racist

… repeatedly been accused of promoting racism. including by Biden. In … proud poster boy for modern racism. This is the same … Trump has been showing Black Americans his true colors for … engagement events he attends, Black Americans will show Donald Trump we … RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News

This entrepreneur had dreams of being on TV. Now, she co-hosts a talk show

While nominations are open for 2024 Black Changemakers, CBC Quebec is catching up with laureates from the last three years. Submit your nomination for a 2024 Black Changemaker here.

Keithy Antoine is more active than ever in the arts and culture scene.  

“I seize every opportunity. I believe that in every situation there’s a gift,” she said. 

Antoine, one of CBC Quebec’s Black Changemakers in 2022, started Boutique Espace Urbaine nine years ago, a platform for Black businesses, particularly those run by single parents like herself, to thrive.

The success of that project inspired her to do more. “I dare to put ideas into action. I dare to ask for help. I dare to start things with nothing,” she said.

Antoine is now part of other initiatives like the Afro Urban Fest, Union Urbaine and WECAN.

Portrait of a woman smiling
Keithy Antoine is a 2022 Black Changemaker (Cassandra Leslie/Ciel Photo)

“We really want to be able to push our craft as the Afro-Caribbean Canadian artists and change the narrative about Black artists,” Antoine said. 

As a Black entrepreneur and community leader, she has faced challenges head-on, which she says she faces with a blend of daring and realism. 

Antoine is now co-hosting the talk show, Pa t’mentir on Radio-Canada. This is in line with her long-term plan.

“I would love to be hosting a show and maybe have a 10-year career on TV. That’s something I love, I love, I love,” she said. 

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs echoes her own journey: start with honest self-reflection, pursue passions relentlessly and embrace the journey one step at a time.


Do you know a changemaker? Nominations are open for 2024 CBC Black Changemakers.

We invite you to nominate your colleagues, friends and family in Quebec — anyone who is making a difference. Self-nominations are welcome as well.

CBC Quebec is accepting nominations until March 8 at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

Fill out the form here

Graphic that says CBC Quebec Black Changemakers with an illustration of a man and a woman.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Greensboro organizations host festival to celebrate Black History Month

Greensboro organizations host festival to celebrate Black History Month

SUPERVISION. WELL, TONIGHT, PEOPLE IN GREENSBORO CELEBRATED BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH A TRIBUTE TO BLACK ARTISTS AT THE GREENSBORO CULTURAL CENTER. THERE WERE PERFORMANCES, EXHIBITS AND DISCUSSIONS TO SHOWCASE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK ARTISTS HERE LOCALLY. PHOTOJOURNALIST GREENE HAS A LOOK. I THINK IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO CELEBRATE BLACK ARTS BECAUSE NOT ONLY IS IT BLACK HISTORY MONTH, BUT WITHOUT BLACK CREATIVITY, WE WOULDN’T HAVE A LOT OF THINGS. I HAVE THREE BOOKS OUT RIGHT NOW SUPREME BEINGS ONE, TWO, AND THREE. HERE WE HAVE DOC. HE’S THE MAIN CHARACTER IN BOOK ONE. HE’S THE GRANDFATHER TO ALL HIS GRANDCHILDREN THAT SURROUNDED HIM. HE LEADS THEM ON. HE LEADS THEM ON A JOURNEY, ON A PATH. HE PRAYS FOR THEM TO DEVELOP POWERS AND SUPERHUMAN ABILITY. I’M 17 YEARS OLD AND I’VE BEEN CROCHETING FOR TWO YEARS. I’VE BEEN SELLING SOME BAGS, ACCESSORY IS JUST THE SMALLER THINGS AND HATS, BUT I ALSO DO CLOTHING AS WELL. I’M A FIRST GENERATION BUSINESS OWNER, SO I SHOW MY DAUGHTERS EVERY DAY LIKE YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO WORK, WORK FOR SOMEBODY TO MAKE IT. I’M GOING TO BE ACCOMPLISHED BY BEING MY OWN BUSINESS OWNER, AND THEY’RE GOING TO OPEN

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Greensboro organizations host festival to celebrate Black History Month

In Tune Inc. and African American Atelier hosted a festival to celebrate Black History Month. Top Stories 8-year-old found dead in Surry CountyWinston-Salem police close road after crash involving a moped, police say Yadkin County home hit by car, same road where car crashed into home last yearGet the latest news stories of interest by clicking hereThe Celebrating Black Arts Festival was held on Friday night at the Greensboro Cultural Center.Click the video player above to hear from people who participated in the festival. The festival featured artists and their work.Visitors enjoyed food, vendors, performances and games.Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscastsNAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here

In Tune Inc. and African American Atelier hosted a festival to celebrate Black History Month.

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Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here

The Celebrating Black Arts Festival was held on Friday night at the Greensboro Cultural Center.

Click the video player above to hear from people who participated in the festival.

The festival featured artists and their work.

Visitors enjoyed food, vendors, performances and games.

Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscasts

NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |

Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

‘AFROTURE’

AFROTURE

Denali Jöel

AFROTURE

Saturday, February 24, 2024 from 10 AM to 6 PM

V Building, San Diego City College

All Ages

Free

Dive into a world where art, culture, and community interesect with “AFROTURE” 2024 at San Diego City College.

This unique celebration of Afro-Diasporan perspectives through photography and visual culture promises to be a rich experience with workshops, screenings, community dialogues, and the opening of the photography exhibition “I See You: Beauty Through The Black Lens” at the institution’s Luxe Gallery.

This is not just an event, rather it is a movement to uplift the spectrum of Black identities within and around San Diego, it is a challenge to conventional norms, and a tribute to the resilience and beauty within the Black community. Be part of this cultural renaissance and witness firsthand the transformative power of art.

Secure your spot now for AFROTURE 2024! Don’t miss the chance to be part of a day filled with inspiration, discovery, and the possibilities of photography as a tool for liberation.

So join us on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at the V Building of San Diego City College (PDF) as we unravel the layers of beauty through the lens of Black artists and visionaries.

Event Supported By

San Diego City College Photography Department

619-388-3281

gtubon@sdccd.edu

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

RFK Jr. courts Black voters, looking to chip away Biden’s support

… said Tim Black, an African American podcast host. “The important … is going into the African American community in various states,” … an “unhealed legacy of racism” in the United States. … a very attractive candidate to African Americans,” Holley said. “The … RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News

Penumbra’s ‘Wine in the Wilderness’ is a vivid depiction of class, gender in 1960s Harlem

When she wrote “Wine in the Wilderness,” playwright Alice Childress seems to have been kind of fed up. One of the first Black women writers to have her work performed regularly in New York theaters, she’d evidently grown impatient with how Black artists, academics and intellectuals too often distanced themselves from what life was like for the average Black American.

So she wrote a play that addressed these class divisions, seasoning it with lots of humor, but eventually letting those oblivious to their privilege have it with a searing monologue that feels cathartic when you experience it in a theater.

Especially when delivered with the passion accorded it by Nubia Monks in Penumbra Theatre’s production of “Wine in the Wilderness.” Monks caps a tour de force performance with a thrilling rejection of the arrogance the haves too often subject upon the have-nots. It’s the climax of a well-executed staging helmed by Penumbra founder Lou Bellamy, one with a very believable naturalism throughout the five-actor cast and a wonderfully evocative set by Seitu Jones.

The play takes its title from a section of 12th-century Persian poet Omar Khayyam’s “Rubaiyat,” but it feels very much about 1964 America, when the civil rights movement was in full blossom and educational and economic fortunes were improving for many Black Americans. In this story, artist Bill Jameson is attempting to complete a triptych featuring three images of Black women, and seeks a model who represents a kind of woman he disdains, uneducated and poverty-stricken.

Tommy, left, played by Nubia Monks, and Cynthia, played by Vinecia Coleman, in Penumbra Theatre Company's production of "Wine in the Wilderness," Alice Childress' 1969 drama about a woman coming into her own identity during a riot in 1964 New York City.The show runs Feb. 20-March 17, 2024 at the St. Paul theater. (Caroline Yang / Penumbra Theatre)
Tommy, left, played by Nubia Monks, and Cynthia, played by Vinecia Coleman, in Penumbra Theatre Company’s production of “Wine in the Wilderness,” Alice Childress’ 1969 drama about a woman coming into her own identity during a riot in 1964 New York City.The show runs Feb. 20-March 17, 2024 at the St. Paul theater. (Caroline Yang / Penumbra Theatre)

He gets more than he bargains for when Tommy comes into his life amid a riot in New York’s Harlem neighborhood. Her apartment above a grocery store has been torched and she’s on the street, but finds a place to briefly stay when Bill’s neighbors bring her home. The disparate life experiences between these successful artists and professionals and this working-class woman (“Born in Harlem, but backcountry,” as Bill says) create a fascinating friction, even as an unlikely romance might be taking root.

Monks makes Tommy a compelling figure, a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to speak her mind, but also has a vulnerable side as she seeks a partner and can’t understand the rejection she confronts.

Childress offers in contrast Cynthia, a social worker portrayed with cool calm by Vinecia Coleman. In her coaching of Tommy to be more demure and deferential to men, the author lays out that there are some aspects of this “revolution” that aren’t very revolutionary at all.

In that regard, La’Tevin Alexander has a tough task in inviting the audience’s sympathies as Bill. It’s clear from early on that this artist intent on saying something important about being Black has some significant blind spots about his own prejudices. While Alexander does his best to flesh out this conflicted personality, Childress paints him into a bit of a corner, Darrick Mosley facing an even tougher task as his enabling writer friend.

One who does a lot with an underwritten role is James Craven as an aging alcoholic the others call “Oldtimer.” Although he shies away from joining Tommy in her vitriolic pushback against the others’ arrogance, Craven projects a palpable strength that suggests some unspoken wisdom.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

‘Wine in the Wilderness’

When: Through March 17

Where: Penumbra Theatre, 270 N. Kent St., St. Paul

Tickets: $45-$20, available at 651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org

Capsule: Nubia Monks’ knockout performance sparks a fiery tale of class clash.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment