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Dear Community:
I like to share the latest health facts and findings because knowledge is power and because We Must Save Us. Understanding how and why disparities exist is the first step to changing them. For example, did you know hypertension affects 1 in 4 adults worldwide and contributed to 664,000 U.S. deaths in 2023? But it does not impact all people equally: about 58% of Black Americans have high blood pressure vs. 49% of white Americans. As Joseph L. Graves Jr. explains in his book "Why Black People Die Sooner," these gaps are not biology, rather they reflect history, policy, stress, and access. A recent JAMA Health Forum study underscores the stakes: Black adults face a 35% higher premature death rate than white adults.
Some event news to share as well! Join us tomorrow Saturday, November 15:
- Black Men’s Support Group, 1:00 PM, Heart of Northside
- Caregiver Support Series (final 1-Day Saturday Session) for those caring for loved ones 60+
Come for tools on blood pressure control, caregiver resilience, and community connection. Bring a friend, schedule a screening, and let’s take action. Wishing you all a safe and blessed week ahead.
Renee Mahaffey Harris
President & CEO
| | Closing the Health Gap CEO Renee Mahaffey Harris to speak with UC students on November 19 about the power of volunteering and giving back | | |
Black Men’s Support Group
Next Meeting: Saturday, November 15 at 1pm
Closing the Health Gap is proud to support the Black Men's Support Group. The next group meeting is Saturday, November 15 at 1:00pm at Heart of Northside (4222 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45223).
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CARING FOR A LOVED ONE 60 YEARS OR OLDER?
Join our 1-Day Saturday Session for Caregivers on November 15
Caring for a loved one is both rewarding and challenging. Most people cannot truly understand these challenges. Our series allows you to be in community and learn from other Caregivers like you, and give you tools to fulfill your responsibilities even better.
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New Book Examines "Why Black Americans Die Sooner"
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects 1 in 4 adults worldwide. In 2023, the condition contributed to 664,000 deaths in the United States. However, hypertension does not affect all people equally. In the United States, about 58% of African Americans have high blood pressure versus only 49% of white Americans.
In a new book, Why Black People Die Sooner: What Medicine Gets Wrong About Race and How to Fix It, Joseph L. Graves Jr. interprets the gap in life expectancy between Black and white Americans. The second chapter, titled "There Is No Slavery Gene: Debunking the Myths of Hypertension," explains how, historically, medical literature has explained the disproportionate rates of high blood pressure among African Americans as a biological trait. This assumption, however, is false. Graves peels back the medical misconceptions that cultivated the belief that socially defined race can dictate disease prevalence.
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Income and social disparities found to influence dementia risk factors
People with lower incomes and people from racial and ethnic historically underrepresented groups in clinical studies are more likely to have modifiable risk factors for dementia, factors that could be changed to lower their risk, according to a study published November 12, 2025, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. While the study found associations across multiple risk factors, it does not prove that income, race or ethnicity cause an increase in dementia risk factors.
"Our findings provide new insight into how people living below the poverty line and those from historically under-resourced groups may bear a higher burden of many modifiable dementia risk factors. By identifying which risk factors are most prevalent in people who have a higher risk for dementia, we can better target potential prevention-whether that means improving access to vision care, supporting social connection, or addressing conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure." – Eric L. Stulberg, MD, MPH
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Interventions to Advance Equity in Pediatric Cardiovascular Care
A growing body of evidence shows that pediatric cardiology remains stuck in the first 2 generations of health equity research—documenting and describing disparities—while few studies have advanced to the intervention stage to work on eliminating these disparities.
In the words of Keila N. Lopez, MD, MPH, associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, “We talk about lifespan health disparities and that they exist, and then we talk about how they exist, and did you also know that they exist and continue to exist?” Although there is a lot of conversation around social determinants of health, very little third-generation research has been done.
At the American Heart Association (AHA) 2025 Scientific Sessions, Lopez argued that to truly improve access to pediatric cardiovascular care, equity research must be translated into policy action and patient-centered advocacy. Only about 4% of current NIH prevention projects include interventions that specifically target health disparities, Lopez noted, calling this a “huge missed opportunity” to translate knowledge into real-world change.
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Disparities in premature deaths raise Medicare equity issues
Black adults have a 35% higher premature death rate compared to White adults, a trend researchers said in JAMA Health Forum should raise concerns about health equity in certain benefits, like Medicare coverage.
All working adults help finance the Medicare program through payroll tax contributions with the expectation that those adults will access Medicare benefits when they turn 65. But if certain populations are at higher risk for premature death, they might not ever see those Medicare benefits, despite paying into them.

This creates some health equity concerns, the researchers said.
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