BLACK HISTORY MONTH – FROM A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE –

A MESSAGE EXPRESSLY FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN & THE WOMEN WHO LOVE THEM.

The prostate gland is often the cause of very big problems for men, especially black men. Prostate Cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed forms of cancer in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, when compared with Caucasian males, African American males are diagnosed much later and the mortality rate is 2.4 times higher.  According to many reports, a big part of the problem is a lack of knowledge in the African American community.  At a time when there is a wealth of information available to large segments of the African American community– why is this so?  Why are African American men less likely to show up for a community education program or access available information on Prostate Health?

Culturally sensitive research has found that the differences in time of diagnosis and the mortality rate between Caucasian and African American males are caused mainly by African American males avoiding prostate screening exams as well as a lack of access to quality medical care.  The five most common barriers to prostate cancer screenings among African American males are all prefaced by the word “lack”:

• 1)       Lack of knowledge about the need for screenings,
• 2)       Lack of insurance, 3) Lack of finances, 4)  Lack of physicians to contact, and
• 5)       Lack of culturally sensitive information about the availability of free screenings. 

 There is another “lack” that is not often evidenced in the research – that is a lack of confidence in our medical system.  In interviews with many African Americans there is an innate lack of confidence (particularly among some older people) in segments of our medical system. They doubt that it will provide the best care (or information) possible, and that the lives and well-being of black people are as valued.  While many readers will recoil at this, it nevertheless is a reality for those who hold this belief.  They can often site circumstances that justify this perception.  While some of those circumstances might not be recent they have placed a mental wedge in the minds of those who hold this belief.  It is one that is not easy to overcome; it takes time, effort and a commitment on the part of all involved to undo the damage of past experiences, and awareness of such occurrences; it could even have been as long as two generations ago!

Is it possible that this “lack” is mostly due to perception than reality?  Could it be more about what has been in the past versus what it is now? How many African American men seek out information?  How many pay attention when information is being offered? How many respond to invitations to participate in free education programs and free screenings?  These are matter-of-fact questions that need to be addressed honestly. We need to create a new reality.

We cannot underestimate the psychological impact of the suffering of many African American patients in the hands of culturally insensitive caregivers.  We also need to closely examine medical services offered to black people at inaccessible facilities; this leads to poor attendance rates.  It is often uncomfortable for black men to discuss their medical concerns and questions in unfamiliar situations with culturally insensitive facilitators.  However, there is an urgent need for black people in general, and black men in particular, to take more responsibility in seeking out and accessing medical information.  While it might be true that the “system” is not working as well for black people, it is not the system that is suffering the dire consequences due to late diagnoses, poor health outcomes, draining economics and early death (plus all of the associated concomitant issues).  The best thing we can do for ourselves as black people is to be proactive about health, education and overall well-being.  It is in our own best interest and that of our families to do so.  

Please visit OneWorld Progressive Institute’s education web site to see some of our health information videos at: http://www.oneworldpi.org/health/health_videos.html  

Let us strive to make each Black History Month more healthy, prosperous and productive than the ones before.  Let us strive for total emancipation by the year 2019.

Safe Streets Baltimore has been a Ceasefire site since 2007. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found the program was responsible for declines in shootings and killings. Homicides were reduced by more than half in Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood. And in communities plagued by violence where Safe Streets wasn’t implemented, community members were seven times more likely to support using guns to resolve disputes compared to a Safe Streets neighborhood.

RWJF has supported CeaseFire and its replication since its start in Chicago in 2000, helping to test and refine intervention and prevention strategies. This is the first rigorous evaluation study of a replication site of the CeaseFire model.

• Read more about the Safe Streets Baltimore study.
• In 2009 New Haven had 12 homicides (all victims were black)
• In 2010 New Haven had 24 homicides (23 were black)
• In 2011 New Haven had 34 homicides (33 were black & Latino)
• In 2012 we at OneWorld Progressive Institute, Inc hope that the program implemented in trajectory in New Haven, CT, Baltimore can serve as a model for changing the trajectory in New Haven. 
• As we celebrate another Black History Month starting today, Feb. 1, 2012, let us work hard at loving ourselves and at teaching our children to loe and respect themselves.  Let us teach them that resolving conflicts with guns has dire consequences for all of us.

Below is the link to the latest news from PCSW, featuring highlights from the RBA Report and the Top 10 Health Benefits Women Gained from the Affordable Care Act. Link:  http://ctpcsw.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/pcsw-january-2012-newsletter.pdf  You can see clips of TV programs done by OneWorld to aid in the passage of President Obama’s HC program at: 

http://www.oneworldpi.org/health/health_videos.html  OneWorld’s “21st Century Conversations” TV programs and community forums focus on health literacy for the entire community.  Visit the link above to see our information programs on the NEED for access to Affordable Health Care. 

We need to keep access to affordable health care as an essential part of a healthy democracy.  Let us NOT go backwards with health care.  It is inhumane to listen to John Boehner and some of the Republicans who are campaigning against providing access to affordable health care for hardworking, less wealthy, Americans. We must ask why they are so opposed to access to affordable health care for hard-working Americans when good health is the foundation of our society.

There is nothing called ”Obamacare.”  This sinister label was created by those who wish to deprive hardworking people– who are less privileged– from getting access to affordable health care.  There are Americans who work 50 hours per week in two or three different jobs, yet they have no health insurance.  Why is this so? Because to reduce operating cost many companies in 2012, have policies that say –unless you work 35 hours weekly, you are not entitled to health coverage. It may cost companies less to hire two part-time employees (working 20-25 hours each) with no benefits, than to hire one employee for 40 hours and provide benefits. There are also insurance companies that will not allow people to buy insurance unless the premiums are paid by an employer.  Even more disturbing is the fact that many people cannot afford to pay premiums at rates charged to individual payers.  In 2010 COBRA costs $436 monthly for one person!  That does not include prescriptions!  How many people can afford such fees plus co-pays, prescriptions and other medical needs that are not covered?  Not many in this economy.  

In 2007, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, died of complications from an abscessed tooth. His family’s Medicaid coverage had lapsed and, according to The Washington Post, Deamonte’s mother said even on the state plan, her children lacked regular dental care.  Imagine in the #1 country in the world, a 12 year-old boy (whose mother is poor) died from a dental infection because of lack of access to affordable dental health care!  We expect this to happen in some backwoods, third world country.  We do not expect it to happen in America; however, it happens more often than we know.  Interestingly, Americans are sometimes riding to the financial rescue of the poor in other far-away lands, but are often blind and even resentful of the poor right here in America. What accounts for this?

Now there are wealthy men campaigning for the presidency who are demonizing the watered-down, health care bill that passed the Congress by calling it “Obamacare.”  This is politics at its most vicious, callous and inhumane.  This is an essential part of the great divide in America today.  Republicans are willing to hold up passage of Congressional Bills for important programs that will benefit average Americans so that they can preserve unconscionable tax breaks for the richest five percent in America!  Where is the Christianity they so loudly profess?  Where is the humanity?  Where are the godliness and the kindness? Where is the evidence of equity, fairness and democracy in this land of the free?  How can these claimed-to-be moral people hold God up with one hand and greed, power and selfishness in the other?  How can they profess morality and outrage at immorality when their deeds are so manifestly ungodly and immoral?

We need to keep access to affordable health care as an essential part of a healthy democracy.  Let us NOT go backwards with health care.  It is inhumane to think that the Republicans are campaigning against providing access to affordable health care for hardworking, less wealthy, Americans. We must ask why the Republicans are so opposed to access to affordable health care for some poor, hardworking Americans.

In Sept, 2011, the nephew of funk legend Bootsy Collins died after a tooth infection spread to his brain.  Kyle Willis (age 24) went to the hospital complaining of a toothache.  Dentists reportedly told him he needed to have the tooth pulled. Mr. Willis decided to forgo the procedure, because he was unemployed and had no health insurance.  When his face started swelling and his head began to ache, Willis went to the emergency room, where he received prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medications.  Willis couldn’t afford both, so he chose the pain medications.  Published reports said the cost of the antibiotics was an additional $27! The tooth infection spread to his brain causing it to swell; two weeks later he was pronounced dead at the University Hospital in Cincinnati.  This is happening in America in the 21st Century!  A key question has to be – was Mr. Willis informed about the danger he was in?  Some health facilities in America today will not even give out printed health information for free unless one has insurance and has received paid-for services.  Where is the humanity in health care today?

The health care Bill that president Obama put his presidency on the line for needs to be reworked and expanded to include a public option.  This is one issue the 99 percent needs to take to the streets about.  America is the only (claimed) enlightened democracy in which the wealthy are steadfastly protected and defended by one party, and the average hardworking, middle-class and the poor are often trampled under feet.  Thanks to those who are fighting to prevent us from being totally run over.  Thanks to Rosa DeLauro, Chris Murphy (D-CT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and the Democratic women for change who are fighting against great odds (including huge dollars from Super Pacs), for their commitment to those less fortunate. 

What is so incredibly amazing and mind-boggling is how so many of these so-called pious  politicians hold up God in one hand and claim their own forgiveness as they try to snatch bread and health care out of the mouths and lives of the less affluent and less fortunate.  Sadly, too many of us have short memories.

Democracy is not a spectators’ sport; get registered; get whatever document is now required to ensure that you can vote in the upcoming elections. Reach out to local community agencies and find the help you will need to ensure your right to vote.  Get a library card; learn to use the computer for free at your public library; become involved in the life of your community.  If you are over age 55, join a senior center group in your community.  Do not give up; do not give in.  America does not belong to the rich and famous; it belongs to all of us.

The Opinion piece below was first published in the New York Times Sunday Review, Dec. 18, 2011

Every young Black and Hispanic male should read this article.  Parents, please teach your sons and daughters how to try and stay safe in this our “Post-Racial” America.  Racial profiling  seems to be thriving in our post-racial America; so are gangs, bullies, drug predators and a host of other maladies– all targeting  young Black males.  The need for parental guidance, structure and support, and the need for productive after-school programs, college-level, skill-building programs and civic lessons are stronger than ever.   We also need intense multicultural education programs for the police depts everywhere.  At OneWorld we believe: “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

OPINION   | December 18, 2011
Opinion:  Why Is the N.Y.P.D. After Me?   Please read the complete article by clicking the link
By NICHOLAS K. PEART 

As a black man in my 20s, I’ve incorporated into my daily life the sense that I might be pushed against a wall or thrown to the ground by a police officer at any time.

WHEN I was 14, my mother told me not to panic if a police officer stopped me. And she cautioned me to carry ID and never run away from the police or I could be shot. In the nine years since my mother gave me this advice, I have had numerous occasions to consider her wisdom. 

Here are a few other facts: last year, the N.Y.P.D. recorded more than 600,000 stops; 84 percent of those stopped were Blacks or Latinos. Police are far more likely to use force when stopping blacks or Latinos than whites. In half the stops police cite the vague “furtive movements” as the reason for the stop. Maybe black and brown people just look more furtive, whatever that means. These stops are part of a larger, more widespread problem — a racially discriminatory system of stop-and-frisk in the N.Y.P.D. The police use the excuse that they’re fighting crime to continue the practice, but no one has ever actually proved that it reduces crime or makes the city safer. Those of us who live in the neighborhoods where stop-and-frisks are a basic fact of daily life don’t feel safer as a result.

This article titled: Magnet Schools Attract Mobile Families has generated many questions about how the New Haven Magnet Schools system works, and what are the funding levels for regular public schools, Lighthouse schools, Intra-district and Inter-district Magnet schools and Charter schools.  OneWorld appreciates all those who have taken the time to post comments and ask thoughtful questions.  We have sought to find answers from various authorities. Answers to questions about the funding of Charter Schools are also posted to the article on the New Haven Independent web site linked above.  In terms of public school funding, here are the answers we got from the State Department of Education (SDE), and the New Haven Public Schhols (NHPS).  

1)       Ques: I would also like to know if the Charter Schools get the same amount of money per child as the regular public schools in New Haven. 

Answer: We spoke to the director of the Charter Schools Program at the State Dept. of Education (SDE); he says – all charter schools, elementary, middle and high schools receive $9,400 per student annually.  This amount is based on the student count as of Oct. 1, 2011.  The student count is taken on Oct. 1 every year; the amount they receive might change annually. Charter schools in NH include Amistad, Achievement First and Common Ground.

2.   Public School Funding is calculated differently from Charter Schools and seems to be a little more complicated. 

• a)       According to the SDE, the New Haven Public School District gets $3,000 per child for NH resident students.
• b)      The district also gets additional per pupil funding/money through Educational Cost Sharing Grants (ECG) from the state. 
• c)       This grant comes in a lump sum and is divided by the district based upon its internal determination of the need that exists in each school.
• d)      According to NHPS fiscal administrators, the cost per student for children in the public schools is calculated at $7,792.  If someone wanted a child (from outside NH) to attend a NHPS, this is what it would cost in tuition for that child.
• e)       Inter-district Magnet Schools:  NHPS gets $6,730 (from the SDE) per student for every child who comes from outside of the district and attends a NH Inter-district Magnet School.
• f)     Intra-district magnets and Lighthouse schools are for New Haven resident students only.  Inter-district magnet schools are for all who are eligible to attend school in New Haven.

3.      Ques: If the Charter Schools get the same amount of money for each student why are they allowed to pick and choose which students they educate? 

Answer: According to the SDE, the Charter Schools are not supposed to pick and choose who they educate; they are supposed to educate the students who apply and are accepted.  If parents have concerns about how their applications are handled they should bring those concerns to the attention of the school administrators. If parents are not satisfied with the response they get, they should contact the Charter Schools Section at the SDE, 860-713-6574; the director is Robert Kelly.

4.   Lighthouse Schools –OneWorld has received several questions about what are Lighthouse Schools in the NHPS system.   

Answer: According to people in charge of these areas in the NHPS, Lighthouse Schools are a part of the No Child Left Behind Federal Program (NCLB); they are high performing schools within the District.  There are three Lighthouse Schools in the NHPS system; they are: Nathan Hale: Pre-K-8, Worthington Hooker: K-8, and Troupe School K-8.  NCLB allows children to be transferred from low-performing schools to high-performing Lighthouse Schools. There is no Lottery application required.  Parents can file a transfer application in the summer (by August) to have their children transferred out of a present low-performing school and into one of the three schools listed above.  Worthington Hooker and Nathan Hale are Tier 1 schools. Troup is presently a Tier 3 school with additional resources for after-school enrichment programs, and a new principal in 2011/2012; Troup is expected to become a high performing school.  We hope this information is helpful to all who inquired.   

 For more detailed information about New Haven schools, we suggest calling NHPS, or visit the web site at: http://www.nhps.net  Browse the site for a wealth of information.  If you do not find the information you seek, please call the specific dept within the NHPS District.  First start at: Home › Parents + Students - then go to Information Parents Can Use

To learn more from the State Dept. of Education (SDE), please visit: http://www.sde.ct.gov/ Browse under Latest News and Quick Links to find an abundance of information.  You may also call the SDE located at: 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106 / Phone:  860-713-6543

We encourage to you visit and browse our web site at: http://www.oneworldpi.org to learn more about what OneWorld does for the greater New Haven as well as the broader CT community.

Visit our specific video sections linked below to watch video clips and full length programs:             www.newhavenindependent.org/…/different_strokes_for_different_folks/ (Community health forum)         http://www.oneworldpi.org/health/health_videos.html             http://www.oneworldpi.org/education/education_videos.html              http://www.oneworldpi.org/civic_engagement/civic_engagement_videos.html   

See a list of articles about OneWorld television programs here: Articles

OneWorld thanks: Robert Kelly and William Magnotta (SDE),  Quanita Mazik-Uzuka, Demaris Rau and Vallerie Hudson-Brown, NHPS Central Office for their help in bringing you this information.

N’Zinga Shani, Producer