Healthy Springfield: About this series
Many readers responded to a report late last year that ranked Springfield as the least healthy city in Ohio. That response — including wanting to make a positive difference — prompted the Springfield News-Sun to take a closer look at the community’s health. This year, the News-Sun will dig into the public health issues facing the city, including teen pregnancy rates and school lunch programs and efforts to improve them. In May, the News-Sun will investigate the leading causes of death in Clark County.
By the numbers
47.8: Percentage of African-American adults who were obese in 2012.
32.6: Percentage of white adults who were obese in 2012.
30: Percentage of Clark County Latinos who reported having a chronic disease, but never seeing a doctor for treatment.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics and Clark County Latino Health Initiative
Unmatched coverage
The Springfield News-Sun provides in-depth coverage of important health issues, including recent stories on the 2016 Community Health Improvement Plan and the increase in squad runs in the city.
More online: For more Healthy Springfield coverage, including videos, health maps and local success stories, log on to SpringfieldNewsSun.com/healthy-springfield.
By the numbers
47.8: Percentage of African-American adults who were obese in 2012.
32.6: Percentage of white adults who were obese in 2012.
30: Percentage of Clark County Latinos who reported having a chronic disease, but never seeing a doctor for treatment.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics and Clark County Latino Health Initiative
Unmatched coverage
The Springfield News-Sun provides in-depth coverage of important health issues, including recent stories on the 2016 Community Health Improvement Plan and the increase in squad runs in the city.
More online: For more Healthy Springfield coverage, including videos, health maps and local success stories, log on to SpringfieldNewsSun.com/healthy-springfield.
Minorities across the country — including Springfield residents — face a greater risk for common health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
In 2012, about 34.9 percent of all adults in the United States were obese. However, the rates were much higher among African-Americans (47.8 percent) and Hispanics (42.5 percent) than their white counterparts (32.6 percent).
While about 10.1 percent of the white population is uninsured, the uninsured population is greater among the African-American (13 percent) community and more than four times greater than the Hispanic (42.7 percent) community.
Non-Hispanic African-Americans make up about nine percent of Clark County’s population, while Hispanics make up more than three percent. To bridge the disparity, local medical leaders want to bring the health care system into the neighborhoods to fight the battle at the ground level.
The lack of insurance and health care access can often lead to health problems going untreated for longer periods of time, which can lead to more critical chronic diseases, such as cancer or diabetes.
Minorities often feel disconnected from the medical system and won’t seek medical help, said Dr. Surender Neravetla, the director of cardiac surgery at Springfield Regional Medical Center and health chair for the NAACP Springfield Unit.
“Largely, they’ll come to the hospital only in the advanced stages of the medical process,” Neravetla said. “They’re not seeking care in a timely manner and they’re not taking precautions appropriately.”
Neravetla has been to many churches and social functions in the neighborhood promoting the upcoming Minority Health Fair. There is a disconnect between the medical community and the neighborhoods, he said.
“People in this neighborhood have come to believe that we don’t matter to anybody and nobody cares about us,” Neravetla said. “Our mission to change that. Unless we can change that perception, nothing else will follow.”
The best strategy for combating minority health disparities is to take the medical system to the people, he said.
“If a neighborhood is not doing well, it becomes our cumulative responsibility to figure out solutions,” Neravetla said.
The goal is to take the health care system to the neighborhoods, Neravetla said, to bring awareness to these health issues.
“We want to re-establish a trusting relationship,” Neravetla said. “It may not happen for a long time, but this is a good start.”
Springfield resident Asaya Elliott was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive form, she said. It occurs in about 10 to 20 percent of diagnosed breast cancers and is more likely to affect younger people, African Americans and Hispanics, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Without being proactive about self-examination, Elliott, 37, would’ve never found the tumor.
“The No. 1 thing is know your body and trust your gut,” Elliott said, “and don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor.”
Chronic diseases
The most common health problem among the African American population is high blood pressure, Neravetla said. The problem is a malignancy because it affects the black population at a younger age and is more severe, he said.
Neravetla says a reduction in salt intake can help reduce high blood pressure among African-Americans. He recently wrote a book on the topic, titled Salt: Black America’s Silent Killer.
“It takes a lot more medication to control it and there’s more complications,” Neravetla said. “It’s a totally different animal than other ethnic groups.”
Another major problem in the African-American community is obesity, Neravetla said. About 37.9 percent of non-Hispanic black or African-American men ages 20 and over were obese in 2012, while about 57.6 percent of their female counterparts were considered obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“Unfortunately, obesity comes with a several pages long list of health problems,” he said.
Ohio has been a leader in minority health over the last three decades, said Ohio Commission on Minority Health Executive Director Angela Dawson. The first Minority Health Month was held in Ohio in April of 1989 and became a national celebration in 2000. The event promotes healthy lifestyles and disease education, among others, to help prevent chronic diseases.
By the year 2020, half of the American population will be diabetic or pre-diabetic, Dawson said. Diabetes is more prevalent among non-white ethnic rates, including American Indians/Alaskan Natives (15.9 percent), African-Americans (13.2 percent), Hispanics (12.8 percent) and Asian Americans (9 percent).
In 2008, the average annual age-adjusted diabetes mortality rate for Ohio was highest among black men with 47 deaths per 100,000 persons, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
“We know diabetes is a preventable disease, but we also know it’s a cost driver,” Dawson said.
By educating people about the disease, Dawson hopes Ohio can prevent the disease instead of waiting until they’re diagnosed, she said.
“They’ll end up having to pay more in medical costs for amputations, dialysis – those things are preventable,” Dawson said.
Medicaid expansion in Ohio has opened the door for more people to receive treatment, Dawson said, especially for people who have historically not had access to health care. Many times individuals may have one or two undiagnosed chronic diseases, she said.
“They’re going to be the sickest of the sick,” Dawson said. “They’ve been walking around without health care. … The expansion was an important and critical first step.”
Latino disparities
Many Clark County Latinos lack access to health care and insurance and can’t see a doctor because of a lack of money or inability to find a doctor who spoke their language, according to a health survey conducted by Welcome Springfield with assistance from the Clark County Combined Health District last year. The result were released at a meeting of the Clark County Latino Health Initiative, which was created to help decrease the Latino health disparities gap.
About 73 percent of the 150 respondents reported good, very good or excellent health. But about 30 percent also said they may have illnesses and have never spoken to a doctor about them, including depression, high blood pressure or diabetes. About 84 percent reported they don’t have health insurance and 83 percent don’t have a personal doctor.
Welcome Springfield is surveying social service agencies to see which provide services in Spanish and can also provide health care for undocumented Hispanics. They’ll use the information to create a database to help link Hispanics to local doctors, said Executive Director Carl Ruby.
Domestic violence also was reported as an issue for 17 percent of survey participants and only 20 percent knew where to get help. Recently, Project Woman erected several billboards in Springfield with its message written in both English and Spanish.
“The Latino population didn’t know where to go,” he said.
Obesity and diabetes are the leading causes of health issues for the Hispanic population, said Springfield resident Diana Cuy Castellanos, a registered dietitian and assistant professor at the University of Dayton.
The immigrant population have come from eating more traditional diets, Cuy Castellanos said. After immigrants reach the United States, the diet of Latinos typically changes to more processed foods, which are higher in fat and sugar, she said.
“We know that they’re all connected to disease,” Cuy Castellanos said.
Health care facilities should have translation resources on site to help bridge the gap between minority patients and doctors, Cuy Castellanos said. The community must also make health care more accessible to minorities with reasonable prices, she said.
Many Springfield Hispanics often travel to Columbus to visit Spanish-speaking doctors, she said. The Rocking Horse Center and the New Carlisle Community Health Center also provide translation services, she said. However, there is a lack of resources in specialized care, including dentistry and ophthalmology, for the Hispanic community, Cuy Castellanos said.
While the health department can work to bridge the gap, grassroots movements from individual doctors can help, she said.
Educating the community
Twelve years ago, Patty Young could see a need in the community. After working with the American Cancer Society for many years, Young noticed the lack of African-American women participating in their programs.
“I didn’t see us,” Young said. “We were hard to reach.”
With the help of the Cancer Society, Young decided to form Sisters United for Prevention, an organization that focuses on cancer awareness and chronic disease prevention among African-American women. The group meets monthly and hosts an annual awareness luncheon in May, which allows cancer survivors to tell their stories and a medical speaker, said Young, who owns a hair salon on E. High St.
“We want to show forms of cancer and that you can survive,” Young said. “It gives them hope that even though you might hear that C word, there’s hope for you.”
The group, now funded by Community Mercy Health Foundation, focuses on educating the African-American community about health. A few years ago, a member was diagnosed with skin cancer after finding a spot on the bottom of her foot, which is common among African-Americans, Young said. It led to several other members getting checked out, she said.
“We’re learning things like that,” Young said.
The community was more difficult to reach because of money and a lack of education about cancer, Young said. They’re also often hesitant to see a physician, she said.
The luncheons can lead to more people becoming proactive about seeking treatment, Young said.
“If you can get ahead of the cancer before it gets in front of you, you have a better chance,” she said. “It’s just been very, very well-attended. I feel like we’ve helped educate the minority community in Springfield.”
Asaya’s story
Elliott is currently undergoing treatment at Ohio State University. With five daughters between the ages of 16 and 5, Elliott has to keep fighting, she said.
“I gotta keep going,” Elliott said.
Last year, Elliott’s boyfriend, Grady Blessing, noticed something odd with one of her breasts. She routinely checked on it, she said. One day last fall, she felt a slight pain after barely brushing it.
“That’s when I picked up the phone and called,” Elliott said. “I tell my boyfriend all the time he saved my life.”
She later discovered her cancer was currently in Stage 1 and had not spread to any other lymph nodes, a rarity among triple-negative cancer.
“I was so lucky,” Elliott said. “Early detection saves lives.”
Elliott will be among the speakers at the Sisters United for Prevention Luncheon on May 7.
Mammograms are typically recommended for women ages 45 and over. However, Elliott has told friends they have to get checked, regardless of age.
“I tell them now: ‘You never know’,” she said. “You’ve got to go and ask. … If I would’ve done something about it, it could’ve very easily went from a Stage 1 to a Stage 4.”
Health fair
The first-annual Minority Health Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 30 at Fulton Elementary School, 631 S. Yellow Springs St. The event is being hosted by the NAACP Springfield Unit, The Links Springfield Chapter and Community Mercy Health Partners as part of the national Minority Health Month.
The event will include free health screenings, such as PSA, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and the mobile mammogram bus, said Anita Biles, Public Health Educator with the Clark County Combined Health District. It will also include more than 25 local agencies covering different areas in health and social services, as well as the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Drug Take Back program for prescription medications. More than 100 free weight scales and blood pressure cuffs will be made available for needy families, Biles said.
While the health fair is targeted at minorities, it’s open to all adults who may not have health care coverage, said Denise Williams, president of the NAACP Springfield Unit.
“You have moms who may need a mammogram, but don’t have the coverage to get one,” Williams said. “We’re going to fix that. This is not just an African-American thing — it’s a community event.”
The goal is to make the minority health fair an annual event, Biles said. It’s an opportunity for residents to get services and referrals for follow-ups, she said.
“We want to focus on the areas that need it the most, which is the southwest and southeast quadrants,” Biles said.
There are several factors for health disparities, Biles said, which could be cultural, economic or a lack of trust in the health care system.
“They aren’t into preventative care and have a lot of other things going on,” Biles said. “When you’re trying to keep the lights on, you’ve not really thought about getting a mammogram.”
As part of the most recent Community Health Improvement Plan, the health district and other partners will focus on at-risk neighborhoods in Clark County. Those areas included neighborhoods near Fulton Elementary School, Perrin Woods Elementary, Springfield Regional Medical Center, Rocking Horse Community Health Center and northern New Carlisle.
“When we keep talking, it keeps coming back to relationships and trust,” Biles said. “We can talk all day about things we want to do, but if we’re not in there face to face with the families living there, then they have no need to trust and believe what we’re saying about screenings is true.”
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