By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent, @StacyBrownMedia The District of Columbia counts among the top 10 states with the best mental health, or the combination of the lowest prevalence of mental illness and greater access to care, according to Mental Health America’s (MHA) annual State of Mental Health in America report. Wisconsin, […]
Category: Health
Posted inNational News
Massive learning setbacks show COVID’s sweeping toll on kids
By Bianca Vázquez Toness and Sharon Lurye, AP Education Writers The COVID-19 pandemic devastated poor children’s well-being, not just by closing their schools, but also by taking away their parents’ jobs, sickening their families and teachers, and adding chaos and fear to their daily lives. The scale of the disruption to American kids’ education is […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Opioid overdose deaths nearly triple among Black Virginians
By Luca Powell,Richmond Times-Dispatch via The Associated Press Darryl Cousins counts three friends who have died of an overdose in the past two months. Some were folks he had used with years ago when he was in active addiction. Others he tried to help in his role as a counselor at several recovery houses in […]
Posted inHealth
Surge in RSV overwhelms pediatric wards around the nation
BY Mylika Scatliffe, AFRO Women’s Health Writer, mscatliffe@afro.com The 2022-2023 cold and flu season came in with a bang. Across the country there has been a surge in cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and Maryland is no exception. “We’ve seen a spike in RSV since approximately the beginning of September with a particular […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Senator Antonio Hayes instrumental in $2.4 million award to UMB School of to address West Baltimore health inequities
By Beverly Richards, Special to the AFRO The West Baltimore RICH Collaborative (Reducing Isolation and Inequities in Cardiovascular Health), a consortia led by the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Nursing recently received $2.4 million from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission. The RICH Collaborative is comprised of community and faith-based organizations, academia, hospitals and […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Local software engineer creates Melalogic to help Black people protect their skin from harmful conditions, like melanoma
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member. msayles@afro.com In the summer of 2010, Avery Smith’s wife, LaToya Donita-Smith, found a raised mole on her scalp. She quickly got a skin biopsy, and a month later, she was diagnosed with stage II melanoma, a type of skin cancer starting in the cells […]
Posted inHealth
Proposed Stealthing Act of 2022 could provide legal remedies for non-consensual condom removal during sex
By Mylika Scatliffe, AFRO Women’s Health Writer, mscatliffe@afro.com Crishawn Boone, 27, of Marceline, Mo. wants everyone to know stealthing is no laughing matter. Speaking with the AFRO only under the condition of anonymity, Boone told her story and spoke about how the effects of stealthing linger long after a sexual encounter is over. Stealthing is […]
Posted inNational News
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits set to increase by 8.7 percent
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, Report for America Corps Member, tmcqueen@afro.com The Social Security Administration Office (SSA) recently announced that around 70 million Americans will benefit from an 8.7 percent boost in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. This means those who receive SSI benefits will receive an additional $140 each month […]
Posted inWord In Black
This Is Where Black Americans Live Longest
by Alexa Spencer It turns out Wakanda — a place full of Black wealth, health, and longevity — isn’t just a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It turns out a place that enables Black folks to thrive actually does exist in real life. That’s the finding of a team of researchers who’ve partnered to tell a much […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
ALZHEIMER’S EDUCATING AMERICA TOUR AND CAREGIVER’S CONFERENCE – DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTING BLACK AMERICANS
By Deborah Bailey, Contributing Editor Are you one of the millions of Black Americans serving as a caregiver for someone impacted by Alzheimer’s disease? The Alzheimer’s Foundation is sponsoring an Educating America Tour-Alzheimer’s & Caregiving Conference Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 am to 1:00 pm (registration opens at 9 am) at Whittemore House (1526 New Hampshire […]
Posted inHealth
The benefits of tracing your roots to improve mental health
By Mylika Scatliffe, AFRO Women’s Health Writer, mscatliffe@afro.com Tracing family genealogical roots and examining lineage through DNA testing have become all the rave in recent years. Companies like AncestryDNA and 23 and Me make finding your roots as simple as a mouth swab. The United States population is a melting pot of citizens, many who […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Diamond’s Body Care donates 10 percent of its profits to cancer survivors
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com When Diamond Brown’s husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, he, like many others, had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation. The treatments left his skin dehydrated and inflamed, so the Detroit native took it upon herself to research plant-based ingredients that could quell […]
