Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal mortality — deaths related to pregnancy or childbirth — in the United States may be larger than previously reported, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. By re-examining information on death certificates from 2016 and 2017, researchers found that the maternal mortality rate among non-Hispanic Black women was 3.5 times higher than among non-Hispanic white women. Previously, standard analyses had indicated a 2.5-times-higher death rate for Black women.

The new analysis also revealed that these disparities were concentrated among a few causes of death. Postpartum cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle) and the blood pressure disorders preeclampsia and eclampsia were leading causes of maternal death for Black women, with mortality rates five times higher than those for white women. Pregnant and postpartum Black women were two to three times more likely than white women to die of hemorrhage (severe bleeding) or embolisms (blood vessel blockages).

For full article> 

To download a PDF copy of the article, click here.

###

Federal lawmakers announced last month plans to launch a new bipartisan caucus intended to address social determinants of health.

Co-chairing the caucus is U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, who recently told Health News Illinois it has been an issue of long-time interest for her. 

The co-chairs include US Representatives Tom Cole (OK-04), G.K. Butterfiled (NC-01), and Markwayne Mullin (OK-02). 

The Congressional Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Caucus will explore opportunities to improve the impact of services delivered to address social determinants with the support of federal funding. It will work to amplify evidence-based approaches to holistic well-being. 

Congressional responsibility for programs to address social determinants is divided among many committees and delivered across multiple agencies. As such, we have convened the Congressional Social Determinants of Health Caucus to bring together members of Congress from disparate jurisdictions to highlight the opportunities for coordination to improve health outcomes and maximize existing and future federal investments in health, food, housing, transportation, and other important drivers of health. Leadership is needed to break down the barriers that impede better coordination between health and social services programs.

Specifically, the Congressional SDOH Caucus will:

• Shine a spotlight on how the COVID-19 PHE has had a disparate impact on certain populations and communities, including people with social needs;
• Convene bipartisan thought leaders to educate members on the evidence around social determinants, why it is necessary to explore, and what’s currently working;
• Collect input and feedback from community-based organizations, health, public health, and social service organizations, and state and local government leaders on how best to facilitate effective social determinant interventions, and how Congress can take action to advance this work; 
• Discuss bipartisan legislative efforts to address social determinant challenges across multiple committees of jurisdiction; and 
• Highlight priorities on behalf of interested members of Congress to external stakeholders and the Executive branch.

Call for Comments! Caucus Request for Information

The Congressional Social Determinants of Health Caucus is seeking feedback on challenges and opportunities related to social determinants of health. Please share feedback to the questions included in this form on challenges and opportunities, which will be shared with SDOH Caucus co-chairs.

Submissions are due by September 21, 2021.

LINK TO RFI

Contact

For questions or additional information on the Congressional SDOH Caucus, please contact Liam Steadman in Congresswoman Cheri Bustos’ office at Liam.Steadman@mail.house.gov, Shane Hand in Congressman Tom Cole’s office at Shane.Hand@mail.house.gov, Caitlin Van Sant in Congressman G.K. Butterfield’s office at Caitlin.VanSant@mail.house.gov, or Kaitlynn Skoog in Congressman Markwayne Mullin’s office at Kaitlynn.Skoog@mail.house.gov.

###

Small business program funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, helps advance research on care interventions, diagnostic tools, and therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. A new paper, published August 10 in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, describes the impact and case studies of NIA’s $280 million investment in this research over the past 11 years through more than 600 grants to over 230 small businesses in 37 states.

“Small businesses play a crucial role in research to discover effective prevention and treatment strategies for Alzheimer’s and related dementias,” said NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. “This paper provides the historical context of NIA’s funding in this highly competitive area and features some of the successes made possible through our federal investment.”

NIA is the lead federal agency for Alzheimer’s and related dementias research. Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. While it is the most common cause of dementia in older adults, it is not a normal part of aging.

Full article here

Download PDF copy of article here. 

If you are interested in this topic, check out the video of the session on Nursing Home Residents (April 2021) here. 

###

Be informed for the September 10, 2021 session with Maureen Benjamins, PhD and Fernando DeMaio, PhD regarding their new book:

Unequal Cities: Structural Racism and the Death Gap

in

America's Largest Cities

(Book Release September 7, 2021)

 

Suggested advance reading: 

Benjamins MB, Silva A, Saiyed N, DeMaio F. Comparison of All-Cause Mortality Rates and Black:White Inequities in Rates Across the 30 Most Populous  U.S.  Cities <https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2775299>. JAMA Network Open, 2020; 3(12):e2032086. doi:10.10001/jamanetworkopen.2020.32086.

More details and to register for the virtual session visit this page. 

###

Check out the IOMC Awards open for nominations now!

- IOMC Humanitarian Global Health Award 

-The Portes/IOMC Award for Excellence in Prevention of Disease 

-The Innovations in Health Care/Health Care Delivery Award

Submissions due October 1, 2021 for the above rewards.

-The Henry P. Russe, MD Citation for Exemplary Compassion in Healthcare 

Due September 1, 2021

For full details and the nominations form, visit this page. 

###

Watchful eye is needed here! Pediatric COVID-19 cases up 84%, report finds — 7 details (Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 8.6.2021)

About 72,000 children in the U.S. tested positive for COVID-19 in the week ending July 29, up 84 percent from the week prior, according to an Aug. 4 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.   

The report is based on state-level COVID-19 data collected and shared by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. 

Six more details: 

1. In the week prior to the one ending July 29, 39,000 pediatric COVID-19 cases were reported. 

2. Nearly 4.2 million children in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, representing about 14.3 percent of all cumulative cases. After the week ending July 29, when 72,000 new pediatric cases were reported, that rose to 19 percent. 

3. Children made up between 1.3 percent and 3.5 percent of total cumulative COVID-19 hospitalizations as of July 29. This figure is based on states that were reporting hospitalizations and mortality by age (23 states and New York City).

4. Between 0.1 percent and 1.9 percent of all pediatric COVID-19 cases led to hospitalization, based on data from 23 states and New York City. 

5. Among 43 states and New York City, which were reporting mortality data by age, less than 1 percent of all COVID-19 deaths were reported in children. 

6. Less than 1 percent of all COVID-19 cases in children resulted in death, based on an analysis of states that were reporting such data. 

Full article here> 

###

The deadline is approaching !  HENRY P. RUSSE, MD (February 12, 1928-May 10, 1991) served as Dean of Rush Medical College at Rush University Medical Center and served five terms as President of The Institute of Medicine of Chicago during an extraordinary decade of personal and professional commitment to the advancement of medicine.  To recognize his contributions, the Trustees of Rush University Medical Center and The Institute of Medicine of Chicago have established the Henry P. Russe, MD Citation for Exemplary Compassion in Healthcare. 

This ongoing award demonstrates, as Dr. Russe exemplified, that humanitarianism must characterize the practice of medicine and medical education beyond the science, technology and personal skillfulness essential in caring for the health of our fellow citizens.  In 2021, this award will be recognized at the Healthcare Leadership Summit in December 2021. 

Nominations due September 1, 2021 

More info and download the nomination form here. 

###

IOMC is excited to host a virtual session on September 10, 2021 about the new book release (September 2021) 'Unequal Cities: Structural Racism and the Death Gap in America's Largest Cities' by Maureen Benjamins, PhD, Sinai Urban Health Institute and Fernando De Maio, PhD, American Medical Association and Founding Co-Director, Center for Community Health Equity (DePaul University and Rush University), and Fellow of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago.

The first book to specifically examine racial health inequities within and across US cities, Unequal Cities offers a social justice framework for addressing the newly identified inequities, as well as specific case studies to help public health advocates, civic leaders, and other stakeholders.

-Discover the ten-year gap in life expectancy between our healthiest and unhealthiest big cities. 
-Compare new previously unavailable data on life expectancy, mortality from leading causes of death, and related Black-white inequities for the country's 30 biggest cities and more. 

State of Health of Chicago session-CEU 1.0*.

More details and to register for this free session: Unequal Cities: Structural Racism and the Death Gap in America's Largest Cities

###

Approximately 15% of adults in the United States have chronic kidney disease (CKD).1 The lifetime risk of someone born in the United States developing kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant is 3%–4% (highest for non-Hispanic Black men at 8% and non-Hispanic Black women at 7%).2

Using the Kidney Failure Risk Equation,3 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2016 show that among US adults with CKD* and at high risk (≥15%) of kidney failure within 5 years, only about 50% were aware of having CKD. Among adults with low risk (<2%) of kidney failure within 5 years, less than 10% were aware of having CKD.

Patients’ knowledge about their kidney disease and its severity may help them follow a healthy lifestyle and prescribed treatments to promote kidney health. These actions may help prevent CKD progression to kidney failure and other health complications, including cardiovascular disease. Increasing awareness among adults with CKD, particularly among adults with the highest risk of kidney failure, represents a significant opportunity for improving quality of care.

Read full article here. 

###

The National Institutes of Health published it new strategic plan for 2021-2025 stating its three objectives, plan framework, and bold predictions. 

View and download plan framework here. 

View and download "Bold Predictions here. 

NIH STRATEGY 

To carry out its mission and optimize return on public investment, NIH has designed a strategic Framework that includes three key Objectives that align with the agency’s goals. These three Objectives outline NIH’s priorities in (1) biomedical and behavioral research areas, (2) research capacity, and (3) research conduct. Across all of these priorities, NIH emphasizes several Crosscutting Themes—approaches that are common to all Objectives of the Strategic Plan—including improving minority health and reducing health disparities; enhancing women’s health; addressing public health challenges across the lifespan; promoting collaborative science; and leveraging data science for biomedical discovery. Examples of these important crosscutting topics are located throughout the three Objectives. 

View and download the full NIH Strategic Plan here. 

###