Dear Community:

This week’s State of the Union address outlined a concerning vision for our nation’s future, raising urgent questions about what lies ahead for vulnerable populations and minority communities. Policy decisions made in Washington have real consequences in neighborhoods like ours, where access to quality health care, affordable medications, nutritious food and safe housing already remains uneven.

For communities like ours, even small shifts in funding, public health infrastructure, or social services can widen existing gaps. We know that racial health disparities are not accidental; they are the result of long-standing structural inequities. When protections weaken or investments stall, those disparities grow.

At the Center for Closing the Health Gap, our mission does not change with the headlines. We remain steadfast in advocating for equitable policies, advancing community-driven solutions, and ensuring that every family has a fair opportunity to live a healthy life. This week's Update is filled with events to help you do just that!

Thank you for standing with us. Wishing you a safe and healthy week ahead!



Renee Mahaffey Harris

President & CEO

Closing the Health Gap Partners with Local Organizatiosn to Present 15th Annual "Spring Into Being Healthy" Fair on March 18 in Cincinnati

Event Schedule:

• 10:30 AM – One-Mile Power Walk
• 10:50 AM – Balloon Release
• 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM – Health Fair

The Epstein Files Fuel Vaccine Distrust

By Clyde E. Henderson, MD

Cincinnati Medical Association

Our fervent data-based belief in vaccines is paramount to our work of improving health outcomes in the communities we serve. Relevant current events that can impact our mission require our attention. The information in the heavily redacted, delayed-release Epstein files regarding his penchant for research on his own DNA is one of those. The fringe discussions which are now circulating are chocked full of inaccurate information regarding vaccines. This new controversy is just another of the many which have resulted in the decreased utilization of vaccines. The intent here is to provide relevant knowledge to fuel your power.

First let us look at some facts about the Covid-19 vaccines. The two major Covid-19 vaccines responsible for ending the pandemic are synthetic mRNA vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer. The scientifically manufactured mRNA can serve only one function. That function is to be the genetic code that directs the protein producing factories in your cells to produce the protein that is identical to a protein on the spike portion of the virus that causes Covid-19. This synthetic mRNA has no ability to produce nor direct production of any other protein. It has no ability to alter one’s genetic code. Its only function is to leave a message in the cell. It has a short life inside of the cell and it deteriorates after it leaves the message to turn on production of the spike protein, which cannot cause disease. Furthermore, the vaccine mRNA cannot even get into the part of the cell that contains the cell’s DNA. It is like leaving a message and then hanging up, or like leaving the ZOOM call when you are done! This is technology from 1990 but was refined by the groundbreaking work of an African American scientist, Dr. Kizzie Corbett, Ph.D. These synthetic Covid-19 mRNA vaccines prevented and shortened hospitalizations, saved tens of thousands of lives, and brought our country out of a pandemic.

Let us touch on DNA basics. DNA is the genetic code specific to each of us. Each individual has the same strands of DNA in each of her or his cells. The cells develop the ability to serve different bodily functions because the section of the DNA which dominates in each cell will be dependent on the purpose of that cell (brain, muscle, heart, lung, etc.). The DNA accomplishes its missions by producing your RNA, including mRNA, which directs all our body’s cells form and function. It is your immune system cells that respond with the ability to fight off infections. Vaccines, irrespective of whether they are mRNA, partial live virus, or deactivated virus parts, prime your immune system to be ready to respond when you are infected with the virus.

Now, briefly to Epstein. Released emails show that this convicted child sex offender was obsessed with the concept of “improving human DNA” and “personal longevity studies.” Epstein’s proclivity for DNA research (HIS) is in the general category of genetic research. But this has no relevance to the genetics involved in a synthetically produced and specifically targeted mRNA vaccines. Secondly, social media, blog, and talk radio devotees are taking a HUGE leap from a child sex criminal’s obsession to see his DNA researched all the way to a connection with synthetic mRNA vaccines. This is a scientifically impossible link.

The facts are that vaccines are tested, safe, and effective. Anti-vaccine theories become more amplified by the factless based decisions emanating from Washington. On the heels of a 10% decrease in flu vaccine utilization this year, pediatric flu deaths hit a record high. Measles, which was once eradicated from Ohio and nationwide, is on the upswing. There have been 904 cases reported this year, compared to a total of 2280 cases, all last year. Seventeen percent of children infected with this highly contagious, preventable virus require hospitalization. Ohio measles vaccination rate has fallen to 88-90%. The threshold for “herd immunity” is 95%, thus the spread of this disease is likely to accelerate. Johns Hopkins University reports that we are likely to see more vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, pertussis (whooping cough), and polio because the childhood vaccination rates are falling.



While the noise around Epstein and the chaos coming out of Washington gets the press and fuels conspiracies, the science is clear. Vaccines save lives while unfounded misinformation gets headlines. Be guided by provable truth not noisy conspiracy theories.

The Black community and the stroke belt: Breaking down the numbers

Stroke continues to pose a major health danger for numerous Black families who reside in the southern part of the United States. The stroke belt experiences worse health outcomes because of its high disease prevalence, limited healthcare access, and various social barriers. The process of data understanding enables organizations to create improved prevention methods and medical treatments.

Research shows that black adults face higher stroke risks than all other population groups. The PubMed database shows that stroke diagnosis appeared 1.40 times more often in African American patients than in whites. People tend to develop this condition because many do not put prevention measures into place and don’t receive adequate care.

Voting Rights in Jeopardy: Implications for Health Care Disparities

Health care is consistently ranked among the top concerns of the nation’s voters. A special issue for health care voters is electing candidates who are committed to making high-quality health care accessible and affordable to all. A 2025 article reported that restrictive state electoral environments resulting in barriers to voting were associated with lower self-reported health outcomes. The association was especially pronounced among Black Americans. Although this research cannot establish a causal relationship between voting restrictions and poorer health, the strong association suggests that causation is at least plausible.

Recent political issues on which health care voters may be aligned include state Medicaid expansion, Medicaid spending reductions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and the threat to the extension of the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits now in the hands of the Senate. Each of these important health care issues may especially affect minority populations.

Failing to extend the enhanced ACA premium tax credits is an attack on working-class Black families and major metro areas

Millions of working families will lose health care coverage, while millions of others are facing higher premiums, following the expiration of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits in January. Losing the subsidies will substantially reduce coverage for Black families in particular, as they are both more likely to live in states without Medicaid expansion and more likely to face uninsurance due to lower and less stable incomes. Our analysis projects Black losses in health care coverage attributable to the premium tax credits expiring for 10 major metro areas with large Black populations, along with the additional costs to those cities of said coverage losses, including: preventable Black deaths, increased annual premiums for remaining enrollees, increased costs to employers, lost worker productivity, and reduced local spending and economic activity. Acting to reinstate and extend the ACA premium tax credits is equity-enhancing, race-conscious economic and public health policy.

Families who lose insurance and families who remain covered both face significant new burdens, and the costs are substantial across the 10 metropolitan areas.

America’s Birth Rate Is Shifting Toward a Minority Majority and Now Things Are Starting to Make Sense

For the first time in the nation’s history, the country’s birth rate marks a landmark shift. According to ABC7, white births have fallen below 50 percent—an unprecedented milestone that means minorities are becoming the new majority. A new study published by the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell analyzed data from 33 million U.S. births over the past eight years. Researchers found that white births made up 49.6 percent, while all other races, including Hispanic, Black and Asian births, accounted for 50.4 percent combined.

This milestone carries a striking irony: while the nation continues to experience declining fertility rates despite the White House’s calls for women to have more babies, there is growing suspicion that this shift is fueling the Trump administration’s push for stricter Medicaid rules and tougher immigration crackdowns. Supporters claim these policies are about “reducing federal waste” and improving border control, but critics argue they directly target the women driving the nation’s growth.

Using AI to Address Inequalities in Lung Cancer Outcomes

Lung cancer remains one of the most prevalent and deadly cancers in the UK, with significant disparities in outcomes due to unequal access to early diagnosis and screening services. In many cases, low screening uptake, variability in GP awareness, reliance on emergency presentations, and limited outreach resources hinder timely diagnosis and equitable care.

The partnership between Johnson & Johnson , Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust and South-West London ICB, employed a predictive AI model to identify high-risk individuals for lung cancer who either are less likely to have engaged with lung health checks or sit outside the lung cancer screening criteria. It integrates socio-economic, demographic and behavioural data to tailor outreach strategies and improve screening uptake or early referral for diagnostic scans. The pilot phase will lay the foundation for a scalable, impactful model of care.

Mahaffey Harris Participating in Panel Discussion at International Women's Day Event on March 8

Learn more at https://www.grail-us.org.