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Florida health experts on Wednesday began a three-day summit to address racial health disparities in the state, the AP/Miami Herald reports (AP/Miami Herald, 8/13). Health experts have identified gaps in seven areas of health care: cancer, diabetes, philia disease, oral health, adult and shaver immunizations, maternal/infant health and HIV/AIDS. Summit participants testament focus on developing strategies to close the gaps, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The Sentinel reports that minorities in the state face a number of barriers to accessing health tutelage that arrive at them less healthy than their gabardine counterparts, including a deficiency of health insurance. The 2004 Florida Health Insurance Study launch that 31% of Hispanics and 22% of blacks younger than age 65 were uninsured, compared with 14.3% of whites.
Susan Fleming, syllabus administrator for the state cancer broadcast, noted that while the incidences of cervical cancer are similar among different groups in the state, "mortality rates are higher" for low-income and less-educated populations. Across the state, 910 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2005, and of those women, 39% of Hispanics and 52% of blacks were diagnosed during the advanced stages of the disease, compared with 44% of whites.
Josephine Mercado, executive director of the Hispanic Health Initiative, aforesaid minority women need more education around the causes and uncommitted treatments for cervical cancer. She said, "Many of the chronic diseases that we have found in the community can be prevented or controlled with more health education," adding, "We have to pop out giving people the tools. And we haven't been doing it" (Hernandez, Orlando Sentinel, 8/13).
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