Inequities in Hypertension Control in the United States Exposed and Exacerbated by COVID‐19 and the Role of Home Blood Pressure and Virtual Health Care During and After the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Abstract The COVID‐19 pandemic is a public health crisis, having killed more than 514 000 US adults as of March 2, 2021. COVID‐19 mitigation strategies have unintended consequences on managing chronic conditions such as hypertension, a leading cause of cardiovascular disease and health disparities in the United States. During the first wave of the pandemic in the United States, the combination of observed racial/ethnic inequities in COVID‐19 deaths and social unrest reinvigorated a national conversation about systemic racism in health care and society. The 4th Annual University of Utah Translational Hypertension Symposium gathered frontline clinicians, researchers, and leaders from diverse backgrounds to discuss the intersection of these 2 critical social and public health phenomena and to highlight preexisting disparities in hypertension treatment and control exacerbated by COVID‐19. The discussion underscored environmental and socioeconomic factors that are deeply embedded in US health care and research that impact inequities in hypertension. Structural racism plays a central role at both the health system and individual levels. At the same time, virtual healthcare platforms are being accelerated into widespread use by COVID‐19, which may widen the divide in healthcare access across levels of wealth, geography, and education. Blood pressure control rates are declining, especially among communities of color and those without health insurance or access to health care. Hypertension awareness, therapeutic lifestyle changes, and evidence‐based pharmacotherapy are essential. There is a need to improve the implementation of community‐based interventions and blood pressure self‐monitoring, which can help build patient trust and increase healthcare engagement.

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The state of naloxone: Access amid a public health crisis

Medicine Access Point of Care ◽

10.1177/2399202619847639 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 239920261984763

Author(s):

Jeffrey Fudin ◽

Amelia L Persico ◽

Jeffrey J Bettinger ◽

Erica L Wegrzyn

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Patient Specific ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Opioid Agonist ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Public Health Crisis ◽

Risk Patients

Over the past decade, opioid use has been at the forefront of a public health crisis throughout the United States. In response to the tremendous negative societal, personal, and economic impacts that the growing opioid crisis has caused, several governmental agencies began to respond. These efforts include declaration of a nationwide public health emergency, increased public health surveillance of the epidemic, research support for pain and addiction, and increased access to overdose-reversing drugs such as naloxone. Naloxone access, in particular, has become a priority. In the United States, pharmacists have had the opportunity to play a crucial role in promoting access to naloxone. Since initial approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1971 as an antidote to opioid agonist overdose, naloxone access has evolved significantly. Today many states have authorized standing orders for naloxone, allowing it to be dispensed by pharmacists without a patient-specific prescription, and all 50 states and the District of Columbia allow medical providers to prescribe take-home naloxone to at-risk patients. While the opioid epidemic itself remains a contentious topic of political, ethical, and medical debate, it is widely acknowledged that mitigation strategies that could lessen morbidity and mortality are essential. Improved access to naloxone is one such strategy which remains at the forefront during this public health crisis.

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PERCENTAGE OF UNINSURED CHILDREN HAS INCREASED

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.88.5.1051 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 88 (5) ◽

pp. 1051-1051

Author(s):

STUDENT

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Low Income ◽

Health Care Policy ◽

The United States ◽

Public Health Insurance ◽

Care Policy ◽

Low Income Families ◽

Uninsured Children

The proportion of children in the United States without private or public health insurance increased from roughly 13 percent to 18 percent between 1977 and 1987, according to a new study by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR). The growth in the proportion of uninsured children in poor and low-income families over the decade was even more dramatic—it rose from 21 percent to 31 percent.

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Pediatric Collections: Vaping: Effects and Solutions

10.1542/9781610024693 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Electronic Cigarettes ◽

The United States ◽

Care Providers ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Pediatric Health ◽

Pediatric Health Care

Electronic cigarettes are the tobacco products most commonly used by youths in the United States. The use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping or JUULing, is a public health epidemic. This collection offers reviews and research to assist pediatric health care providers in identifying and treating adolescent use and exposure to e-cigarettes. https://shop.aap.org/pediatric-collections-vaping-effects-and-solutions-paperback/

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Satisfaction with health care system: A comparative study between market-based insurance model of the United States and “out-of-pocket” model in developing and low-income countries

International Journal of Healthcare ◽

10.5430/ijh.v6n1p41 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

Ram Lakhan ◽

Sean Y. Gillette ◽

Sean Lee ◽

Manoj Sharma

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care System ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Low Income ◽

Access To Health Care ◽

The United States ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Healthcare Needs ◽

Care System

Background and purpose: Access to healthcare services is an essential component for ensuring the quality of life. Globally, there is inequity and disparities regarding access to health care. To meet the global healthcare needs, different models of healthcare have been adopted around the world. However, all healthcare models have some strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this study was to examine the satisfaction among a group of undergraduate students from different countries with their health care models namely, insurance-based model in the United States and “out-of-pocket” model prevalent in low-income countries.Methods and materials: The study utilized a cross-sectional research design. Undergraduate students, representing different nationalities from a private Southeastern College, were administered a researcher-designed 14-item self-reported electronic questionnaire. Independent t-test and χ2 statistics were used to examine the differences between two health care systems and the qualitative responses were analyzed thematically.Results: Satisfaction towards health care system between the United States and low-income countries was found significantly different (p < .05). However, students in both settings experienced an inability toward affording quality healthcare due to economic factors and disparities.Conclusions: There is dissatisfaction with health care both in the United States and low-income developing countries among a sample of undergraduate students representing these countries. Efforts to ensure low-cost affordable health care should be a global goal.

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A New Vision for Europe’s Bioeconomy in a Post-COVID World

Journal of Commercial Biotechnology ◽

10.5912/jcb971 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Susan Finston ◽

Nigel Thompson

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

The United States ◽

Inclusive Leadership ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Academic Researchers ◽

Public Health Threat ◽

New Vision ◽

The Eu

In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the European Commission (EC) provided inclusive leadership, working as a team including EU member (national) officials, biopharmaceutical industry, NGOs, academic researchers and frontline health care personnel – acting with unprecedented collaboration and cohesion. The emergence in early 2020 of the greatest public health threat in a century required new approaches and new collaborations. While the United States failed to provide leadership, the EU did not disappoint.

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Access to Health Care and Voting Behavior in the United States

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved ◽

10.1353/hpu.0.0045 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 731-742 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jeanette Kane Ziegenfuss ◽

Micahel Davern ◽

Lynn A. Blewett

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Voting Behavior ◽

Access To Health Care ◽

The United States ◽

Access To Health

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The Use of Telehealth in School-Based Health Centers

Global Pediatric Health ◽

10.1177/2333794x19884194 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 2333794X1988419 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hayley Love ◽

Nirmita Panchal ◽

John Schlitt ◽

Caroline Behr ◽

Samira Soleimanpour

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Public Schools ◽

Health Care Access ◽

Access To Health Care ◽

Care Delivery ◽

The United States ◽

Health Centers ◽

School Based ◽

School Based Health Centers

Telehealth is a growing model of delivering health care. School-based health centers (SBHCs) provide access to health care for youth in schools and increasingly use telehealth in care delivery. This article examines the recent growth of telehealth use in SBHCs, and characteristics of SBHCs using telehealth, including provider types, operational characteristics, and schools and students served. The percentage of SBHCs using telehealth grew from 7% in 2007-2008 to 19% in 2016-2017. Over 1 million students in over 1800 public schools have access to an SBHC using telehealth, which represents 2% of students and nearly 2% of public schools in the United States. These SBHCs are primarily in rural communities and sponsored by hospitals. This growing model presents an opportunity to expand health care access to youth, particularly in underserved areas in the United States and globally. Further research is needed to fully describe how telehealth programs are implemented in school settings and their potential impacts.

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