New Americans struggle with health inequities
Star Tribune, January 17, 2015
When Dr. Kathie Culhane-Pera started caring for Vietnamese immigrants in the 1990s, she found built-in trust from patients - who called her "Bac si" and followed her guidance on diet, exercise and medication for chronic diseases such as diabetes.
That wasn't the case as Hmong refugees arrived in Minnesota, despite the fact that she can speak one Hmong dialect and understands the history of the mountain-dwelling people who were persecuted after the Vietnam War for supporting the Americans.
Latino enrollment in ACA low, experts say
Courier-Post, January 18, 2015
The number of uninsured Americans has dropped by 10 million adults since the Affordable Care Act rolled out last year.
But only 8 percent of those who applied for health insurance last year were Latino, though they make up about 17 percent of the population.
"All the other ethnicities did really well," said Aida Rivera, health organizer for N.J. Citizen Action. "The lowest numbers were among Latinos. We don't really have a concise answer as to why that is.
Feeling the pain: Law enforcers train to understand mental health issues
The Montana Standard, January 19, 2015
Actively working to improve their empathy radar, Butte-Silver Bow police officers role-played intense scenarios to hone their on-the-spot skills when dealing with mental health cases.
The recent interaction culminated in a week-long crisis intervention training for several departments at the Butte Civic Center.
Demand for mental health services drives cost for counties
FDL Reporter, January 16, 2015
A shortage of mental health professionals has driven up both the demand and cost of services for counties throughout Wisconsin.
According to a Gannett Wisconsin Media Investigative Team survey, the highest-paid county employees in both Fond du Lac and Dodge counties were psychiatrists. Of the 25 county employees across the state earning more than $200,000 in base salary, 18 work in the behavioral health sector, including 14 psychiatrists.
Report highlights income disparity between metro, rural Minnesotans
Prairie Biz Mag, January 16, 2015
Rural Minnesota has some striking differences with Minneapolis and St. Paul, but also some surprising similarities.
For instance, north-central Minnesota's population is poorer than most of the state, with lower income and more school students on government-subsidized free lunch than much of the state. A few other deep rural areas joined the north-central area on those marks.
Minority Women Benefit Most From Healthy Diet
Endocrinology Advisor, January 16, 2015
A healthy diet appeared to lower risk for type 2 diabetes among women in all racial and ethnic groups, but Asian, Hispanic and black women appeared to reap the most benefit, new data published in Diabetes Care suggest.
Diabetes is a serious health concern for all people, although the disease is more prevalent in black, Latino, Native American and Asian American people. While previous research demonstrates an association between risk for type 2 diabetes and diet, most study populations were primarily composed of white people.
