By Sonja Ausen-Anifrani This summer, I had the opportunity to fulfill my field experience requirement at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). I was stationed in the STD and HIV section of MDH and was employed with the task of developing protocol for the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review as it relates to perinatal transmission […]
Category: Minority Health
How will uninsured and Medicaid recipients be affected by the Affordable Care Act?
The Kaiser Family Foundation developed an interactive tool to that shows how the Affordable Care Act will affect communities throughout the US. One interactive map focuses on increases in the number of people who will be enrolled in Medicaid and the other map focuses on the future reductions in the number of people who are […]
STIs at a Peak in Minnesota
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on a rise in Minnesota. From 2010 to 2011, there was an 8% increase in bacterial-related cases. Chlamydia, for example, has more than doubled from its dip seen in 1996. This data—from Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) 2011 Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Statistics Report—includes information on Minnesota’s most commonly reported […]
How long-term benefits override upfront costs: using research and evaluation to justify a female condom intervention
In a time where economic interests override public health concerns, a new study published in AIDS and Behavior shows that public health spending can reduce costs in the long run. In general, female condoms are more expensive than male condoms. However, after cost-analyzing an initiative that distributed 200,000 condoms to women in a neighborhood with […]
Healthy Homes: Lead Poisoning
Keeping the home healthy: an environmental health issue. But should it also be a concern for MCH? Where children spend time eating, drinking, playing, doing homework and sleeping, should the MCH field focus on how living spaces may influence health? Many of the hazards that affect a child’s life course may originate in the home […]
MCH Student Elisabeth Seburg ‘LEND’s an ear at AMCHP
Elisabeth Seburg is a second year MPH student at the University of Minnesota School Of Public Health. She is in the Maternal and Child Health program as well as a fellow in the University of Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program. As a trainee in two MCHB funded programs, Elisabeth tells […]
MCH Student Annie Fedorowicz on her first Professional Presentation
A hundred different thoughts were racing through my head as I waited to give my first professional presentation at the 2nd annual Making Lifelong Connections meeting… Will I remember to take a breath and slow down? How do I connect with the audience? I have to remember not to read the slides and just tell […]
Controversy over Co-Sleeping: A PubH Campaign
A controversial public health campaign coming from Milwaukee targets infant and caregiver bed sharing. 20% of Milwaukee’s infant mortality rate is attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUDI); it is the 7th worst in the country, with also large disparity rates (Black infant mortality rates are almost 3 […]
Health Disparities and Children in Rural Areas
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released a report on U.S. rural children and their health, called The Health and Well-Being of Children in Rural Areas: A Portrait of the Nation 2007. Compared to urban areas, children living in rural locations are more likely to face adverse health outcomes. The study uses parental responses from […]
Perceptions of HIV in Hard Hit Areas
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has released a new and enlightening report from a 12-city project initiated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Department created the plan to enhance HIV prevention, care and treatment in cities with high HIV/AIDS burden. These metropolitan cities represent 44% of the U.S.’s AIDS […]
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” and your health
The recent repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) should provide some additional holiday cheer for public health professionals–as it represents a substantial victory not just for GLBTQ advocates, but for all of us who care about protecting and promoting sexual and reproductive health. DADT, a federal law designed to prohibit gay and lesbian military […]
September 27, 2010: National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
This coming Monday, September 27 marks the third annual National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Sponsored by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), the National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is meant to refocus attention on the HIV/AIDS crisis among this community. Men who have sex with men are still disproportionately affected by […]
Increasing poverty, decreasing health coverage: new Census Report findings
The recently released (9/16/2010) 2009 Census Report found striking evidence of our ongoing Great Recession: An increase in the nation’s poverty rate to 14.3% — according to the press release, “the second statistically significant annual increase in the poverty rate since 2004” and the highest percentage of total poverty since 1994. That’s 44 million individuals, […]
Drive-Thru Diet?
With obesity rates in this country at an all time high, the food industry has responded. Many eating establishments have added healthier options to their menus, including smaller portions and a selection of lower calorie foods. However, one fast food chain has gone as far as promoting their menu items as “diet food.” Taco Bell’s […]
In the news: local MCH outreach
Clarence Jones, a MCH graduate student and director of community outreach at Southside Community Health Services, recently took part in a forum on minority health sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Program in Health Disparities Research. As Jones noted, the need for organ donation among minorities is high. Certain diseases that can cause organ failure […]