Articles by Steven Gilchrist

In October 2020, researchers from the City University of New York's Hunter College and Harvard Medical School analyzed information gathered by the federal government regarding health insurance coverage in the United States. The researchers discovered that the number of Americans with health insurance decreased by approximately 2.3 million between 2016 - 2019. The decrease in the number of uninsured Americans led to as many as 25,180 deaths. Researchers estimate that if more Americans cannot gain access to health insurance, then the number of deaths caused by lack of health insurance coverage could triple in the United States. "Gutting the Affordable Care Act would throw another 19.9 million Americans off of insurance, and cause up to 68,345 extra deaths each year. We need to expand insurance, not shrink it. With 30 million uninsured today, we could save thousands of lives by achieving universal coverage," says Dr. Adam Gaffney a Harvard Medical School physician and lead a...

C ANCER is a disease that affects people of all ages, genders, and ethnic and racial backgrounds.   In the United States, it is estimated that nearly ½ of all men and 1/3 rd of all women will battle cancer at some point in their lives.   Minorities and economically disadvantaged people are more likely to develop and die from cancer.   Each year, during the third week of April, National Minority Cancer Awareness Week is held to promote improved awareness about the prevention and treatment of cancer in minority communities. During the Awareness Week, doctors, researchers, and social workers make an extra effort to give minority communities information about the importance of cancer screenings and maintaining healthy lifestyles.   On April 8, 1987, legislation establishing the awareness week was signed into law when the U.S. House of Representatives Joint Resolution 119 was passed.   Often times, minorities might not go to see a doctor until they are ex...

E very year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes March 24 th as World Tuberculosis Day.   On this day, the CDC and the world community promote methods for people to learn more about tuberculosis – one of the deadliest diseases in the world.   March 24 th is an important day concerning tuberculosis because it was on March 24, 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch, a German physician, discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB). According to the CDC, tuberculosis has been an ailment that humans have suffered with for thousands of years.   Approximately 2 billion people are infected with M. tuberculosis.   “Each year, nearly 9 million people in the world become sick with TB disease, and almost 1.5 million deaths are attributed to TB,” according to the CDC website.   Since 1993, the rates of tuberculosis infections have significantly declined in the United States; however, the disease disproportionately affe...

T he month of November is recognized as National Diabetes Month.   Diabetes affects 25.8 million Americans, about 8.3% of the U.S. population.   Diabetes is a disease that causes blood glucose levels to be above normal.   Most of the food people eat is turned into glucose or sugar which the body uses for energy.   The pancreas creates a hormone called insulin to help glucose travel throughout cells within the body.   When a person has diabetes their body does not produce enough insulin or cannot use its own insulin as well as it should.      Approximately 79 million Americans have pre-diabetes which puts them at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.   According to the American Diabetes Association, if current trends in health care continue then 1 out of 3 children born in the U.S. today, will eventually face a future with diabetes.   Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.   In addition to being one of ...

W orldwide approximately 500 million people have hypertension – which is commonly known as high blood pressure. This month, marks National High Blood Pressure Education Month. In the United States the observance of May as National High Blood Pressure month has taken place since 1984. The slogan for the awareness campaign is “Know your numbers.” Earlier this year, a panel of medical experts from the Institute of Medicine (one of the National Academies of Sciences) concluded that high blood pressure is a “neglected disease” in the United States. Despite being a preventable ailment, high blood pressure is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. “Hypertension as a disease is relatively easy to diagnose and it’s inexpensive to treat,” says David Fleming who is the Director of Public Health for Seattle, Washington. One in six deaths in the United States is caused by hypertension resulting in $73 billion dollars in costs for the U.S. healthcare system. Blood pressure is defined as the f...

S ickle cell anemia is a worldwide disease. The disease is most common in people who trace their ancestry to areas of the world such as: Central America, Greece, India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean. In the United States, more than 70,000 people are inflicted with sickle cell anemia. In the U.S. the disease is of particular concern for African Americans. Sickle cell anemia occurs in 1 in every 500 African American births. C urrently, there is no universal cure for sickle cell anemia – which is an inherited blood disorder. People who have the disease suffer from abnormally (sickle) shaped blood cells. Normal red blood cells last about 120 days, whereas sickle cell shaped blood cells last only 10 to 20 days. Normal blood cells are a smooth circular shape. In sickle cell patients, the misshaped blood cells cannot move sufficiently through the body’s small blood vessels. Common medical problems associated with the disease are: chronic ep...

F or over 25 years, HIV/AIDS has been a devastating disease. More recently the disease has become prevalent amongst African Americans. In order to combat the damage that HIV/AIDS has caused in the African American community, The Balm in Gilead, Inc. established a program focusing on raising awareness about the disease. I think that it is important to be cognizant of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus which causes AIDS. Currently, a cure for AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) does not exist. The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is a national campaign that was started in 1989 by the New York City based Balm in Gilead, Inc. During the week, black church congregations are encouraged to educate and empower their congregants about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs. This year the week will be recognized from Sunday, March 1, 2009 to Saturday, March 7, 2009. HIV/AIDS is a global illness; however, people of African descent have been particula...

Every year since 1963, the U.S. Congress has advised the President to sign legislation authorizing February as American Heart Month. Matters of the heart are important and the numbers speak for themselves. In the United States heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. The most common form of heart disease in America is coronary heart disease (CHD) – which often occurs as a heart attack. If the heart muscle does not receive enough blood, a heart attack can occur. Heart disease is a broad term that encompasses several conditions that affect the heart. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 785,000 Americans will have a heart attack in 2009. Other CDC facts about heart disease are: • In 2002, 696,947 people died of heart disease, 51% were women. This number accounted for 29% of all deaths in the U.S. • An estimated 47% of heart related deaths occur prior to emergency services...