Credit Card Debt Leads Some to Skip Medical Care
HBNS STORY | April 25, 2013
People with outstanding credit card or medical debt were more likely to delay or avoid medical or dental care, finds a new study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

Birthing Centers Provide Equal or Better Deliveries
HBNS STORY | April 18, 2013
Low-income women who chose to deliver their baby at a birthing center under the care of a certified nurse-midwife had the same or better birthing experience as women under traditional care with a hospital-based obstetrician, according to a new study in Health Services Research.

Churches Minister Better Health in African American Communities
HBNS STORY | April 9, 2013
African Americans who believe their church is responsible for promoting health in their members and the community are also more willing to attend church-based health fairs, according to a new study in Health Promotion Practice.

Elderly Women in Rural Areas Less Likely to Recover from Depression
HBNS STORY | March 19, 2013
Being female and living in a rural area are among several factors that predicted whether an elderly person with depression recovered over the course of a year, finds a recent study in Depression Research and Treatment.

Email and Texts to Doctors: Not Just for High-Income Patients
HBNS STORY | March 12, 2013
Low-income patients served by “safety-net” community health centers want to communicate with their doctors via email or text or are already doing so, according to a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Housing Improvements Should Be Targeted at Those in Poorest Health
HBNS STORY | March 5, 2013
Improving housing can improve health, particularly when interventions are targeted at those in the poorest health, according to a systematic review published in The Cochrane Library.

States that Support Access to Health Information Can Decrease Colon Cancer Deaths
HBNS STORY | September 25, 2012
Despite medical advances in colon cancer screening and treatment, people with a lower socioeconomic status remain at a higher risk of dying from colon cancer. A new study in The Milbank Quarterly finds that states and communities that focus on increasing the adoption of innovative health care practices along with providing greater access to public health information can reduce these deaths.

Diagnostic Confidence Key for Prompt Treatment for Women with Heart Symptoms
HBNS STORY | August 29, 2012
Doctors who believe that women have “atypical” coronary heart disease symptoms are less certain when diagnosing heart disease in women. As a result, women are less likely than men to receive treatments for an urgent cardiac event, finds a new study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

Even With Insurance, Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Treatment Persist
HBNS STORY | July 26, 2012
A new study in Ethnicity & Disease finds that racial disparities in breast cancer treatment persist even when Black and White patients have the same Medicaid health insurance and similar economic status.

Predominately Black-Serving Hospitals Provide Poorer Care
HBNS STORY | July 19, 2012
Hospitals that mostly serve Black patients have worse mortality outcomes for both Black and White patients with three common conditions: heart attack, congestive heart failure or pneumonia. The new study in Health Services Research suggests that there is an urgent need to improve care at predominately black-serving institutions.

Mental Health Care Disparities Persist for Black and Latino Children
HBNS STORY | June 21, 2012
Disparities in the use of mental health services, including outpatient care and psychotropic drug prescriptions, persist for black and Latino children, reports a new study in Health Services Research.

Women and Minorities Face Barriers to Clinical Trials
HBNS STORY | June 1, 2012
Physicians have great influence over whether minorities and women participate in cancer clinical trials, according to a new literature review.

'Health Care Deserts' More Common In Black Neighborhoods
HBNS STORY | April 25, 2012
New research into "health care deserts" finds that primary-care physicians are especially hard to find in predominantly Black and/or low-income Hispanic metropolitan neighborhoods.

Guest Blog: Instant Access & Old Faulty Assumptions
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | October 25, 2011 | Rima Rudd
The current literature indicates that we in the various health disciplines provide texts that are poorly written and organized, web sites that are hard to navigate, as well as charts and graphs that are difficult for many to interpret and use. I say that we can make information truly accessible and usable by adding needed rigor to our work.

Even Outside “Stroke Belt,” African-Americans Face Higher Mortality
HBNS STORY | September 1, 2011
African-Americans and country folk outside the so-called “stroke belt” are at higher risk for stroke death than other populations, a large new study finds.

Guest Blog: Matters of the Heart
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | August 22, 2011 | Katherine Ellington
When her mom is being treated for a newly diagnosed heart condition, medical student Katherine Ellington learns first-hand how her medical training applies to real life. This is the second in a series of three posts.

Unaffordable Housing Might Lead to Poor Health
HBNS STORY | November 9, 2010
People who cannot afford their housing are more likely to suffer from poor health, according to a new study, which also found that renters consider themselves less healthy than homeowners.

Canada, US Immigrants Have Less Health Care Access Than Natives
HBNS STORY | September 2, 2010

Hmong-American Women Far Less Likely to Get Pap Test
HBNS STORY | August 5, 2010

WIC Program Has Moderate Effect on Birth Outcomes
HBNS STORY | April 28, 2010

Report: Too Few Minority Doctors After Decades of Discrimination
HBNS STORY | January 27, 2010