Browsing: Health

     FAMU’s official closure just ahead of the end of the Federal Public Health Emergency in May, which was enacted in 2020, of its covid-19 testing and vaccinations site marks the end of a three-year stretch of dedicated performance.  By April of 2020, tens of thousands of covid-19 testing sites were set up in makeshift triage facilities across the country.  The most significant of those in our area was the FAMU testing site which occupied the northeast side of Bragg Memorial Stadium.

Far too often, patients suffering from fibroids are not informed of options for treatment, and women as young as 20 years old are forced to receive hysterectomies. One patient stated, “I was told hysterectomy was my only option to treat my fibroids. It was either hysterectomy or continue to suffer with it.” As the Founder and Medical Director of the Atlanta Fibroid Center, Dr. John Lipman specializes in the nonsurgical treatment of uterine fibroids with a procedure called Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE).

 `In 2021, the National Institute of Mental Health reported that among the 57.8 million adults with AMI (any mental illness), 26.5 million received mental health services. The organization further noted that more women (51.7%) received mental health services than men (40%).

 We observe National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month each July to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face regarding mental illness in the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health encourages state, tribal, and local leaders, community-based organizations, faith leaders, healthcare providers and individuals to educate their communities regarding mental health stigma. According to data from the CDC, suicide was the third leading cause of death for African Americans ages 10-24 in 2020. The suicide rate is four times greater for African American men than women. African American females in grades 9-12 were 60% more likely to attempt suicide than white females.

A new CDC report suggests the majority of people with hepatitis C still have not been cured[1][1] nearly a decade after breakthrough treatments that clear the viral infection were first approved in the United States. The findings highlight the urgent need for a proposed national program that would end much of the suffering and death from hepatitis C by eliminating the disease in the United States.

The Health Foundation of South Florida announced more than $2 million in funding for two initiatives aimed at addressing Black maternal health inequities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and a community-based peacemaker program in Liberty City and Overtown. The grants were unveiled at the second annual Black Health Summit, which took place earlier this month at Florida Memorial University and drew more than three hundred healthcare, education, philanthropy, and community leaders to discuss the current state of Black health in South Florida. 

The Florida Department of Health (Department) is issuing a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory following four confirmed and recovered local cases of malaria in Sarasota County. All individuals have been treated and have recovered. Malaria is transmitted through infected mosquitoes. Residents throughout the state should take precautions by applying bug spray, avoiding areas with high mosquito populations, and wearing long pants and shirts when possible – especially during sunrise and sunset when mosquitos are most active.

     While being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) several years ago, U.S. Army and Iraq War veteran William Davis realized he had become hooked on the opioid pain medication hydrocodone. Seeking to break his dependency on the legal yet highly addictive drug, Davis turned to marijuana as an alternative pain relief solution, despite its illegality in Louisiana.