AHRQ National Healthcare Disparities Report Highlights Challenges for Racial & Ethnic Minorities

The 2011 National Healthcare Disparities Report released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) shows that access to health care was not improving for most racial and ethnic groups in the years 2002 through 2008 leading up to enactment of the Affordable Care Act. The congressionally mandated disparities and quality reports, which AHRQ has produced annually since 2003, are based on over 40 different national sources that collect data regularly. The reports, which include about 250 health care measures, show the persistent challenges in access to care faced by most racial and ethnic groups. Fifty percent of the measures that tracked disparities in health care access showed no improvement between the years 2002 and 2008, while 40 percent of those measures were getting worse.

Specifically, for 2002 through 2008, Latinos, American Indians and Alaska Natives experienced worse access to care than Whites on more than 60 percent of the access measures, while African Americans experienced worse access on slightly more than 30 percent of the access measures. Asian Americans experienced worse access to care than non-Latino Whites on only 17 percent of the access measures.

The 2011 National Healthcare Quality Report  tracks the health care system through quality measures such as the percentage of adult smokers who received advice from a provider to quit or the percentage of children who received recommended vaccinations. Based on the same data and measures used in the disparities report, the congressionally mandated quality report found that overall health care quality improved slowly for the general population between the years 2002 and 2008. Both reports will serve to track progress on the Affordable Care Act in the future.

View the National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report. In addition, AHRQ's NHQRDRnet is an online query system that allows you to access national and State data on the quality of, and access to, health care from scientifically credible measures and data sources.

Read more on the AHRQ website. Download the 2011 National Healthcare Disparities Report (pdf 5.6 MB). Download the 2011 National Healthcare Quality Report (pdf 5.2 MB).

Mental Health, Substance-abuse Problems Lower among LGB Adults Accepted by Parents

Receiving emotional support and acceptance from parents benefits the long-term health of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults, according to a study tittled Parents' supportive reactions to sexual orientation disclosure associated with better health: results from a population-based survey of LGB adults in Massachusetts. The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Homosexuality

About three-quarters of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults aged 18 to 64 surveyed in Massachusetts said they had revealed their sexual orientation to their parents, typically when they were about 25 years old. About two-thirds said their parents were supportive. Rates of mental health and substance-abuse problems were significantly lower among those who received support from their parents than among those who felt rejected, the study found. For example, gay and bisexual men who felt rejected by their parents had a six to seven times increased risk of binge drinking and serious depression, while lesbian and bisexual women whose parents did not support them had a fivefold increased risk of serious depression and an 11-fold increased risk of illicit drug use.

Read more on the MedlinePlus website. Read the abstract of the study.

Open for Comment: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Suicide Prevention Quality Measures

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is accepting public comment on a proposal to adopt as many as 12 suicide prevention-related quality measures that are part of the incentives program to encourage the adoption of electronic health records by health care providers and hospitals nationwide. The Action Alliance encourages those in the suicide prevention community to submit comment on these measures. 

One of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention's priorities is the integration of suicide prevention into health care reform. The CMS is currently considering adopting as many as 12 suicide prevention-related quality measures that are part of the incentives program to encourage the adoption of electronic health records by health care providers and hospitals nationwide. CMS is currently accepting public comment on the proposal to incorporate these quality measures. To submit a comment, click on the "submit a comment" box on the link below. Comments may be typed into the web page or uploaded as files. Deadline for submission is May 7, 2012.

Read more. Submit comment.

Bullying is Not Native: Indian Health Service Releases Anti-Bullying Video

Indian Health Service has released an anti-bullying Public Service Announcement (PSA) with a strong message: "Bullying is not Native and does not honor our traditions or culture." 

An astonishing thirteen million kids face bullying each year according to government surveys, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the United States. American Indian and Alaska Native youth are no exception.

Depression, Anxiety Top Reasons Older Adults Abuse Drugs or Alcohol

Depression and anxiety are the top reasons older adults abuse drugs or alcohol, according to a study conducted by the Hanley Center, a Florida drug and alcohol treatment and recovery center. The study found 63 percent of older adults blamed depression and anxiety for their substance use. Thirty percent said economic and financial stress was to blame, while 20 percent cited retirement as contributing factors to dependency. Almost half of survey respondents named both prescription drugs and alcohol as their substance of choice, according to a press release by Hanley Center.

“Older adults face a distinct set of changes and challenges as they enter their golden years,” said Dr. Barbara Krantz, Medical Director of Hanley Center. “This transitional period of life is challenging, and may lead to difficulty in dealing with stressful situations, such as an early retirement or new financial strains, which in turn may lead to serious anxiety and depression. Without the proper tools to manage their emotions, baby boomers and seniors may turn to quick fixes such as alcohol and drugs, creating the perfect storm for dependency.”

Treatment admissions doubled in adults age 50 and over between 1992 and 2008, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The Miami Herald reports that senior adult admissions in centers such as Hanley for prescription drug abuse have jumped 450 percent since 2000. Unintentional overdose is the second leading injury-related cause of death among seniors, the article notes.

Read more on The Partnership at DrugFree.Org website. Read the press release.

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