February 2023 – GRAAHI

Research shows health care disparities still prevalent for Black residents

February 21, 2023 by Vanessa Greene

By Vanessa Greene for the Grand Rapids Business Journal – Published February 17, 2023

It’s no secret that historically, health care outcomes for Black people and other non-white Americans have been an area of concern.

These numbers, from longstanding systemic inequities in the health care system, social determinants such as a lack of accessible health care facilities in some communities, to outright discrimination, can leave Black residents less likely to trust doctors and seek proper care. This last point was most evident during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when more Black residents were dying in part due to this distrust of the medical establishment.

At the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute, we recently undertook a much more local approach to this issue and have analyzed state data to showcase the severity of the disparities right here in our backyard of Kent County.

County-level disparities

Led by our research coordinator Andrae Ivy, MPH, we dove into state health care data from 2014 through 2020, examining 17 key health trends — from diabetes and obesity, to cancer, infant mortality and teenage births — and how they impacted Black, white and Hispanic residents in Kent County.

What quickly emerged was a troubling pattern. Among the biggest Kent County trends were:

15.1% of Black residents have diabetes vs. 10% of white residents
Obesity rates were 41.6% for Black residents, compared to 28.5% for white residents and 30.1% for Hispanic residents.
Heart disease mortality rates continue to climb for Black residents, reaching a new high of 541.3 per 100,000 residents. Stroke mortality also grew significantly from 2017 to 2020.
10.2% of Black residents could not see a doctor due to health care costs vs. 8.8% for white residents.
Asthma rate for Black residents was 19% vs. 14.1% for white residents.
Both the prostate cancer rate (135 per 100,000 men) and lung cancer rate (75.9 per 100,000 residents) for Black residents were significantly higher than rates for white residents.
Infant mortality rate was 13.8 per 1,000 births for Black residents, nearly triple the 4.8 per 1,000 births rate for white residents.
Teenage birth rates were much higher for Black residents (32.3 per 1,000 females ages 15-19) and Hispanic residents (27.3), compared to the 7.7 rate for white residents.
Medical debt due to out-of-pocket costs is another major obstacle. According to a 2022 survey of Michigan residents by Epic-MRA and the advocacy group Consumers for Quality Care, among Black voters that have had their household finances seriously affected by medical debt, 80% say they’ve had medical bills go into collections.

Also, 65% of Black voters expressed concern that health care costs will be negatively impacted by long-term effects of COVID-19 in Michigan, compared to 58% of the state’s population overall. And 69% of Black Michiganders are concerned about expected impending loss of health care coverage expanded during the pandemic through the Affordable Care Act, compared to 51% of the state’s population overall.

Addressing inequities

While there is not one easy answer that will close these gaps in health care for Kent County’s Black residents, one thing is clear. Without major improvements to the systems surrounding access to health care in communities of color, these disparities in West Michigan and beyond will continue to persist.

Between changes at insurance companies to improve affordability of health care, increased state and federal support, and significant local community efforts, policymakers must prioritize implementing policies that improve health outcomes in the Black community.

Compared with whites, members of racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive preventive health services and often receive lower-quality care. They also have worse health outcomes for most conditions. To combat these disparities, legislators and health care professionals must explicitly acknowledge that race is a factor in health care.

Although the majority of individuals have at least one full-time worker in the family across racial and ethnic groups, people of color are more likely to live in low-income families that do not have coverage offered by an employer and have difficulty affording private coverage. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the ongoing gaps in coverage for people of color could further widen the coverage gaps they already face and, in turn, exacerbate broader disparities in health and health care. With this in mind, efforts to increase insurance coverage and make health care affordable are crucial.

My organization works every day to educate the public on their health care rights and how to navigate the system, while also teaching preventive health care measures, as we work to help change these statistics. But officials at the city, state and federal levels, as well as health care systems and insurance companies, must recognize the serious inequities this research has exposed and work to address them. Improving disparities requires a collective effort across many systems and organizations.

Some examples include working to address key social determinants that can lead to poor health, offering more accessible and affordable health care options in communities of color that lack them, diversifying the health care workforce, proactively connecting patients with supportive social services and eliminating inequities in the quality of care. Additionally, it is important to monitor and document efforts toward reducing health disparities to determine what’s working.

If we’re ever going to deliver a realistic chance at equal access to quality health care for all residents of Kent County, we must work together vigorously as if our own lives depend upon it.

To read the article on GRBJ, click here>>.

To learn more about GRAAHI and the Health Equity Index, visit https://hei.graahi.org/.

Get Your Heart Pumping and Move Your Body in this FREE Class.

February 17, 2023 by GRAAHI Editorial

GRAAHI and the Grand Rapids Black Nurses Association are hosting a FREE 40-minute community workout circuit at The Other Body Fitness Gym. During this event, you will learn how 30 minutes of exercise a day can help maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress levels, and decrease your chances of heart disease later in life.

The details for this event are :

Location: The Other Body Fitness Gym – 3949 28th Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512
Time: 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Services: Heart Healthy presentation followed by a 40 min circuit workout (for beginners). NO PRIOR WORKOUT EXPERIENCE NEEDED. All participants must be 18+ to participate.

Please note that this event has the capacity for 15 participants. We will review submissions on a first come first basis and will reach out to you once your spot is confirmed.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbtdRfVFmwW8lLb7kaGTFQBqBLQNZrpyMVoldCb_QGFkfoyQ/viewform

Seeing themselves in the doctor’s coat

February 16, 2023 by GRAAHI Editorial

Health Careers Club introduces elementary students of color to occupations

By Erin Albanese February 15, 2023 | School News Network

*Students engage in conversation and an activity arranging certain food on a plate with Kent County registered dietitians*

Third-grader Alfredo Rajas examined clues as to why people were falling ill with respiratory symptoms in Milwaukee and Chicago.

“Fifteen people have been visiting the emergency room and have been having trouble breathing lately,” he said, catching on quickly to the role of a health investigator. “They have fevers and other stuff that make them feel really bad.”

Brandi Berry, program supervisor for the Kent County Health Department, explained what that could mean.

“When you have more than three people with the same symptoms, you have the potential for an outbreak,” she said.

A group of Stocking Elementary students were playing a game with Berry to introduce them to careers in public health, one of several health care fields they are learning about this school year as part of Pathways to Healthcare Careers, a program offered by the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute.

*From left, students Janelle Whitley and Amarianna Richards listen to details of a simulated outbreak*

The game, Solve the Outbreak, on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, presents information and clues, and demonstrates how “disease detectives” investigate outbreaks.

“The Health Department helps everybody,” Berry told students. “We make sure that you have clean water, that the air is good. We make sure everybody gets their shots and that you’re healthy.”

‘We want students to see themselves in the doctor’s coat.’
— Stacey Baker, program coordinator for Grand Rapids African American Health Institute

But, she explained, some things that affect people’s health, like COVID-19, require investigation because they are dangerous. That is the role of a health investigator.

“Outbreaks happen in the world. We just had an outbreak – COVID. When something like that happens it can be very dangerous. We don’t want outbreaks.”

*Third-grader Alfredo Rajas talks through clues in the game ‘Solve the Outbreak’*

Brandi Berry, the program supervisor for the Kent County Health Department, introduces students to public health
careers.

Students spend an hour every Monday in Pathways and have learned about occupational therapy, phlebotomy, dietetics and nursing by meeting professionals and getting to see and touch equipment.

The goal is to expose children of color to health care careers while helping boost their academics, said Stacey Baker, program coordinator for GRAAHI.

“We want students to see themselves in the doctor’s coat or in the shoes of other health care professionals,” Baker said. “We want them to see a variety of health care occupations to grow and expand their knowledge base.”

People of color are drastically under-represented within the healthcare field, he said. According to 2017 and 2019 data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, whites make up the majority of the U.S. medical workforce, at 64.4 percent; compared to Hispanics, at 16.1 percent; Blacks or African Americans, at 11.6 percent; and Asians, at 5.3 percent.

Having people of color in healthcare professions improves outcomes as well, Baker said. “Studies have found that when patients of color see health care workers of color they tend to do better in terms of their health overall.

Pathways pairs academic tutoring in reading and math — through Sylvan Learning — with the career presentations, equipping students with academic skills to eventually pursue careers. Baker said that’s an important piece to the program.

“They need to be academically proficient in terms of the sciences.”

The program is also offered at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy, a middle and high school, and Ottawa Hills High School. Along with seeing health care professionals in action, the high school program involves tours of college campuses and program visits.

*Donovan Jones takes part in the investigation*

Inspiring Young People

By using their sleuthing skills in the game, Stocking students figured out that the outbreak was caused by anthrax. A musician who visited Africa had returned with the deadly bacteria on his drums. When he played at a concert in Chicago, beating the drums caused the anthrax spores to disperse in the air and infect the audience.

Alfredo enjoyed the investigation and said he’d like to be a health investigator one day.

“The research — you get to find out clues — it’s like a scavenger hunt,” he said. “I want to keep the community safe and I don’t want anyone to get a bad illness.”

Learn more about Pathways at graahi.com/education.

Grant expands GRAAHI’s power to eliminate health disparities

February 2, 2023 by GRAAHI Editorial

ESTELLE SLOOTMAKER | MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2023

Thanks to a $1 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant awarded by Kent County, the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (GRAAHI) will expand and enhance programming aimed at reducing health disparities within the county’s BIPOC communities. Founded in 2002 in reaction to a Kent County Health Department community needs assessment, the grassroots organization has leveraged community input and collaborations with other organizations to address disturbing racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality, diabetes, access to mental and medical health care and more.

“That survey showed daunting, glaring disparities — more than the community had anticipated,” says Vanessa Greene, GRAAHI CEO. “Disparities are not just a result of treatment experiences. Eighty percent of health disparities are a result of social determinants — where people live, which determines where they go to school, and then that determines their ability to access resources and higher education, which then informs what type of job they’re going to get. The type of employment determines what type of health insurance that they have.”

Some of the grant money will help fund GRAAHI’s health navigator programs, which focus on maternal infant health and mental health. GRAAHI’s mental health navigators aim to connect at least 500 African Americans with mental health services to address needs exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Navigators working with expectant mothers aim to reduce BIPOC maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. A 2020 Kent County Community Needs Assessment found that nearly twice as many Black babies here died in their first year of life than white babies (8.1 per 1,000 compared to 4.5 per 1,000 live births). Similar disparities exist across the U.S. Research has determined that racism-induced stress is a major root cause.

“We still have mothers who are not highly engaged in prenatal care, who don’t have the comfort level [with their provider],” Greene says. “Community health navigators help them through that process and walk alongside them. We want to be really intentional about supporting pregnant women and making sure that they understand every stage of their pregnancy and have the resources to help them navigate that process.”

The grant will also expand GRAAHI’s Pathways to Healthcare Careers program, which seeks to increase underrepresented students in health care professions.
Launched in Grand Rapids Public Schools in fall 2022 at Stocking Elementary and UPrep Middle and High Schools, Pathways connects educators, healthcare professionals, academic tutors and mentors with students during after-school sessions. Additional Pathways pilot programs are being developed with Grand Rapids Community College, Davenport University, Ferris State University, Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University as well as with three Grand Rapids area hospitals — Spectrum Health Butterworth, Trinity Health Saint Mary’s and University of Michigan Health-West.

“When people come in, it’s important for them to see faces that look like them,” Greene says. “Having increasing diversity in the health care sector is important for [those working in health care to understand] how cultural relevance and affirming treatment impacts the overall attitude and trust level of the patient. The other factor, COVID, created a lot of shifts in terms of people leaving the health care system. There’s a shortage in almost every [health care] field.”

GRAAHI also plans on expanding its Restoring Health program that serves Kent County’s older adults who were adversely impacted by COVID-19 and now face deteriorating health due to chronic conditions, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, or social isolation. In addition, GRAAHI plans to enlist more than 100 repeat blood donors to help sickle cell patients survive that disease, which is prominent within the Black community.

“We’re nowhere close to achieving all of our goals, but we are really excited about the strides that we’re making and the systems that we have in place,” Greene concludes. “We do anticipate seeing even greater results and impact with this funding we’re receiving from the county.”

Written by Estelle Slootmaker, Development News Editor
Photos courtesy GRAAHI

Article is copied from Rapid Growth Media – https://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/devnews/0130graahi.aspx

The Brutal Death of Tyre Nichols and the cumulative effects of police brutality and trauma on the Black community

February 27, 2023February 2, 2023 by GRAAHI Editorial

Andrae Ivy, MPH | GRAAHI’s Director of Research | February 2023

On January 27th of 2023, the world watched yet again as a Black man named Tyre Nichols was viciously beaten and harassed by a group of police officers in Memphis, TN. The images, words and violence in this video were terrifying to watch, as the officers seemed determined to end this

young man’s life following a routine traffic stop. After being violently punched, kicked and tasered, Mr. Nichols would eventually slump to the ground, blood running down the side of his swollen and distorted face onto the cold pavement. The officers showed no signs of treating Mr. Nichols like a human being before, during or after the attack, as they casually shared excuses and lies to justify their violence. The grotesque injuries Mr. Nichols suffered from the beating can also be viewed, as he laid lifeless in a Memphis hospital room with a face reminiscent of Emmett Till’s. Unfortunately, Mr. Nichols would eventually succumb to his injuries and lose his life three days later. Upon release of the video, five of the officers involved in the incident were fired. That following Monday on January 30th, a sixth officer was fired in connection with the beating. This traumatic event is all too familiar for Blacks or African Americans who are often reminded of their fragile and devalued nature in the face of police officers. Blacks are tired of this state-sanctioned treatment and need tangible protections and anti-hate policies to prevent such attacks from reoccurring.

From Rodney King to Sandra Bland to George Floyd to Breonna Taylor to Tamir Rice to Atatiana Jefferson to Patrick Lyoya and so many others, the deaths of Blacks or African Americans in the presence of police officers are commonalities that plague the hearts and minds of not only the victims and their families, but also those who share a similar phenotype across the many cities and states in this country and across the world. According to Mapping Police Violence, Blacks in America are nearly three times more likely to be killed by police officers compared to whites, resulting in 254 Black deaths in 2022. In addition, this study found that 100 out of 100,000 Black men and boys will be killed by police officers during their lifetime compared to 39 white men and boys. Since Blacks as a whole collectively share the grief and trauma of these deaths, it’s important for Blacks and society to better understand the cumulative effects of these unethical actions on the mental, physical and emotional health of the entire Black population. Several studies have investigated the impact of traumatic events, such as police brutality and racism, on the overall wellbeing of Blacks. One study in 2018, led by Dr. David Williams, found that the killing of an unarmed Black person by a police officer resulted in many days of poor health for Blacks in that state for the next three months. Another study found that Blacks and other non-white groups were more likely to report police victimization, in which that victimization was significantly linked to psychological distress and depression. In a more robust study, researchers found that the constant threat of police violence, the actual acts of police brutality, and the aftermath of these events have a collective and “allostatic load” effect on the mental health of those victimized along with those who identify racially or culturally with said victims. In addition, this study also determined that the effects of police brutality mirror the effects of racism

occurring within many facets of society such as housing, education, employment and health care.

In this interesting study, Black drivers in America were nearly 20% more likely to be stopped by police officers and nearly twice as likely to be searched compared to their white counterparts. When being confronted by police officers, many Blacks run and flee, which is viewed by some as an indicator of guilt. Many Blacks know the history of this country and the unequal treatment with police officers and the justice system, even when no wrongdoing has occurred. In 2016, the Massachusetts (MA) Supreme Judicial Court showed support for this reality regarding a Black man in Boston who was wrongfully profiled during a police investigation. The MA Supreme Court stated, “The finding that Black males in Boston are disproportionately and repeatedly targeted for FIO [Field Interrogation and Observation] encounters suggests a reason for flight totally unrelated to consciousness of guilt. Such an individual, when approached by the police, might just as easily be motivated by the desire to avoid the recurring indignity of being racially profiled as by the desire to hide criminal activity.” This statement by the MA Supreme Court basically means that Black men running from police officers is understandable due to the fact that Black men are more likely to be racially profiled. Their statement also confers that some Black men simply run to escape the indignity of being racially profiled and a potential victim of police brutality, and that this shouldn’t indicate any form of guilt on their part. This is important to note when thinking about Tyre Nichols who decided to run in an attempt to reach his mother’s home, just sixty yards away. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful.

Typically, police brutality against Blacks usually involves white officers. In Tyre Nichols’ case, the officers involved were mainly Black, indicating that Black officers can also possess and demonstrate hate, bias and prejudice towards Black life. Such behavior is repulsive no matter the person’s background, and justice should be served no matter the officer’s race. This fact reinforces calls to investigate police departments, unions and officers to determine their ability to serve and protect the community without bias, hate and prejudice. If not, more innocent lives will be lost. On another note, these acts of police brutality from some officers stain the image and reputation of all officers, even though this behavior isn’t indicative of all officers. Like many citizens, many police officers also expressed their dismay with the vile behavior displayed by the officers in Mr. Nichols’ case and many other cases of police brutality, showing that all officers can’t be blamed for the actions of some. The Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (GRAAHI) is dedicated to increasing health equity for Blacks or African Americans in the Grand Rapids community. These acts of violence against Black bodies impact our mental and physical health. We are deeply troubled by the death of Tyre Nichols and so many others. Even though these officers were swiftly charged, many systematic changes, such as anti-Black hate policies and protections, are needed to revamp and rebuild the justice system and the consciousness of Americans, so a person’s life isn’t deemed less valuable because of the color of their skin.

We at GRAAHI offer our sincerest thoughts and prayers to the family of Tyre Nichols.