Health Equity Digest – October 2023: Breast Cancer Rates for Black Women, Advancing Equity in Disaster Resilience

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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of breast cancer that tends to grow quickly and has a higher likelihood of spreading and recurring after treatment compared to other types.  Black women are two times more likely than White women to have this aggressive form of cancer, which is most common in those younger than 40.

While the overall breast cancer death rate in the United States has dropped by 43% in the last 30 years, that is not the reality for Black women, who have a 4% lower incidence rate of breast cancer than White women. Breast cancer is, in fact, the leading cause of cancer death among Black and Hispanic women in the U.S.

Healthcare inequities contribute to these statistics. Black women are more likely to experience inadequate access to screenings, treatment and preventive and educational information. Historical barriers in the healthcare system, including limited access to education and clinical trial enrollment, also have a significant impact on outcomes for Black women.

Groups working to raise awareness in the space include Tigerlily Foundation, Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, Living Beyond Breast Cancer and TOUCH, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance.

READ:

• The 'no sabo kids' are pushing back on Spanish-language shaming: A growing group of young Latinos are using TikTok and social media to push back on not speaking perfect Spanish — an attempt to define their identity and heritage on their own terms.

• Are You Experiencing Racelighting? Here’s What it Means: Think gaslighting but with racism added — and Dr. J. Luke Wood says if the condition isn’t identified, the healing can’t begin.

• NAACP signs agreement with FEMA to advance equity in disaster resilience.

• We cut child poverty to historic lows, then let it rebound faster than ever before: The expanded child tax credit was a well-tested solution to child poverty. Bring it back.

• ‘Whatever it takes’: Students at 50 U.S. high schools launch climate initiative Green New Deal for Schools demands districts teach climate justice, update buildings and plan for extreme weather.

MEET:

Rhea Boyd, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician, scholar and community health advocate, who discusses the intersections of race, tech innovation and health. She partners with community-serving and non-profit organizations to advance health equity and uses media to diversify data and voices to improve health outcomes. Recently, she helped develop THE CONVERSATION: Between Us, About Us, a national campaign aimed at delivering information about COVID vaccines directly to Black, Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities.

LEARN:

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development Model (“States Advancing AHEAD” or “AHEAD Model”). Through this model, CMS will collaborate with participating states to reduce costs, improve population health and advance health equity. Up to 8 states will be awarded cooperative agreements to participate in the model. CMS is planning to release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), with application information, in fall 2023. More details on the AHEAD model can be found here.

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced awardees for the 2023 Minority Research Grant Program: Morgan State University (Racial Disparities in Maternal Child Health and the Role of Doulas in Reducing Disparities), University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (Community Peer Education Project: Prisoner Health is Public Health) and California State University San Marcos Corporation (Community Schools Bridges2Health Research). The three recipients will each receive $333,000 for their projects, supporting CMS’ commitment to advancing health equity among the populations served.

• As part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda, the White House Cancer Moonshot recently announced new actions and commitments to end cancer. Programs include:

  • New smoking cessation resources for underserved communities, including American Indian, Alaska Native and Black communities, to reduce cancer health disparities. NCI’s

    SmokeFree.gov initiative is extending a partnership with the Indian Health Service to collaborate with experts from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and the American Indian Cancer Foundation to launch SmokeFreeNative, a text messaging program to help American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents and adults quit smoking, while honoring the significance of traditional tobacco.

  • A new nationwide health innovation network to bring cancer clinical trials to underserved communities and drive research progress. ARPA-H is announcing that its new ARPANET-H, a nationwide health innovation network to tackle pressing health challenges, will be deployed to accelerate clinical trials for cancer and other diseases. This new network will reach all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and create a continuous feedback loop with patients, providers, researchers and others that improves the goals, reach and data sharing capabilities across ARPA-H programs to foster breakthrough collaborations and advance equitable health outcomes. This new network will enable historically underserved populations to actively participate in clinical trials, improve equity in access to innovative cancer interventions and accelerate the agency’s work to drive breakthroughs in preventing, detecting and treating cancer and other diseases.

  • Komodo Health, a health data and technology startup, is announcing a new platform to measure cancer disease burden, map cancer outcomes and illuminate disparities in cancer care. Over the next two years, this effort will deliver insights to help public health officials, government agencies and patient advocacy organizations to directly support efforts to close the screening gap and decrease the impact of preventable cancers. Built on more than 330 million patient experiences, Komodo’s platform can be used to spotlight gaps in care, identify disparities in disease burden and understand the impact of cancer on discrete patient populations. This research will enable public and private partners to direct resources to reduce the burdens of lung cancer.

• Across the U.S., gender-affirming care has been at the forefront of legislative discussions. In 2023, there have been more than 550 LGBTQ+ bills in 43 states. Since August 15, 2023, 80 bills have been signed into law, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Of 14,000 LGBTQ+ adults surveyed by HRC, nearly 80% of respondents feel their safety is threatened by recent bans and that they worsen harmful stereotypes.

  • On the topic:

    • The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier: Health professionals reflect on gender-affirming care ban as it goes into effect

    • Teen Vogue: Resources for LGBTQ+ College Students Are Dwindling, Due to Republican Laws

    • The Advocate Magazine: Gender-Affirming Care Access Improves Mental Health: Study

    • Associated Press: Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect

RESEARCH:

• New research coming out of Harvard University has put a spotlight on how discriminatory policies are impacting the health of Hispanic/Latinx communities in states where anti-immigrant sentiment is prevalent. In the study, it is shown that exclusionary policies that limit access to care, housing or other essential resources lead to higher risk of asthma, diabetes and a range of mental health conditions, particularly in children. “Our hope is that these findings can inform future studies to identify macro-level approaches to address health inequities,” said Natalie Slopen, Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard University, who led the study.

  • On the topic:

    • CNN: Health of Latino children worse in states with anti-immigrant attitudes and policies, new study says

    • HealthDay: More Health Problems Seen for Latino Children in States With Systemic Inequity

    • NBC News: Latino kids in states with more anti-immigrant laws are in poorer health, study finds

• In a new study published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, researchers have discovered that incidences of racial discrimination can trigger increased inflammation in Black women with lupus. Over a two-year period, participants shared self-reported incidents of discrimination and researchers found that each experience was tied to a nearly 4% increase in C-reactive protein levels, a key inflammatory biomarker in lupus. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, Black women, specifically, tend to have the highest prevalence of lupus in the United States and experience greater disease severity in comparison to their white counterparts.

  • On the topic:

    • HealthDay: Racial Discrimination Linked to Increased CRP in Black Women With Lupus

WATCH:

• Democratizing Clinical Trials with a Community-First Approach: The conversation explores the latest efforts to disrupt the traditional approach to clinical research and build capacity in communities that are historically underserved to ensure greater equity in access to care.

• Recognition of Diverse Populations Can Lead Us to Health Equity: The TEDx talk by Rebecca Maff explores the importance of considering the social determinants of health when recognizing and treating diverse populations to achieve health equity.

• How Med Tech Can Help Address Health Inequities: The panel explores how to leverage med tech to improve health outcomes, reduce inequities and create a more equitable world as a continuation of Accenture and MATTER’s previous event, Digital Health x Health Equity Panel: Reinvent a More Equitable Future.

• Health Equity in Practice: How to Transform Field Language and Strategies Into On-The-Ground Change: The panel discusses some of the language barriers in the anti-violence field and draw connections between terminology and on-the-ground prevention by uplifting organizations who are currently leading the charge.

• Empowering Change: How Katie Drasser is Revolutionizing Health Equity at RockHealth.Org: The conversation explores the importance of shifting power and privilege, equitable investments in venture capitalism and how Drasser and her team are improving access and creating opportunities for women and communities of color to thrive in the digital health space.

LISTEN:

• Heat waves and health, with Frederick Chen, MD: This episode discusses the connection between climate change and public health, highlighting the effects of extreme weather events, vector-borne illnesses and implications for patients of all ages.

• CDC guidelines on new COVID vaccines and when to get the flu shot with Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH: This episode provides updates regarding the latest COVID, flu and RSV vaccines and explores the potential for a fall tripledemic, rising COVID-19 cases, new CDC data on drug overdose deaths and the blood supply shortage.

• Maternal Health and Health Equity: This episode features Mary-Ann Etiebet, AVP for Health Equity at Merck and Lead of Merck for Mothers. The conversation explores ways to address disparities in maternal health outcomes and the contributions of the Merck for Mothers initiative.

• Defining Health Equity with Dr. David Olawuyi Fakunle: The episode features Dr. David Olawuyi Fakunle, “Mercenary for Change," and Assistant Professor, Public Health, Morgan State University School of Community Health & Policy. This conversation explores the stressors within the "built" environment, societal manifestations of racism and the use of arts and culture to strengthen health, equity and, ultimately, liberation.

• Insufficient Data, Disparities Plague Lung Cancer Risk Factor Documentation: This episode of Managed Care Cast explores the challenges and disparities in lung cancer risk factor documentation, as well as the potential for improvement.

ATTEND:

• Exploring Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Health Equity Commitments and Approaches by Health Organization C-Suites A Workshop – Oct. 5

• Briefing: Black Health Equity – Oct. 5

• EGALapalooza – Oct. 5

• CTC-RI Annual Conference: "Investing in Primary Care & Health Equity" – Oct. 5

• BlackHealthMatters.com Fall 2023 Health Summit & Expo – Oct. 7

• Sister, Sister: Navigating Mental Health as Black Women – Oct. 7

• 2023 Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture – Oct. 7

• NIP Annual Conference: Planning for a Healthier Future – Oct. 7

• Love Your Liver Live Event – Oct. 12

• Expert Panel on Open Data for Racial Equity – Oct. 12

• Growing White Leadership For Racial Equity – Oct. 16-20

• Our Health is a Priority Health Fair – Oct. 21

• Davis Lecture: “Private Equity and the Corporatization of Health Care” – Oct. 24

• The Art of Navigating Change – Oct. 24-25

• Building an Insurer-Driven, Performance-Based LGBTQ+ Provider Directory (IDEAS) – Oct. 25

• Pathways to Achieving Health Equity and Innovation – Oct. 25

• Health Equity Summit – Oct. 26

• 2023 Kansas Health Equity Summit – Oct. 27

• DOE Justice Week 2023: Equity Portfolio Day – Oct. 30

• Equity in Data Collection – Nov. 1

• Session 1: Menstrual Equity 101 (CODMAN SQUARE) Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite – Nov. 1

• DFC Fourth Annual Equity Forum – Nov. 2

• HCLV Health Equity Summit on Workforce Development – Nov. 2

• Pathways to Health Equity: Access to Clinical Trials in Rural Communities – Nov. 2-3

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