Maternal Mortality Remains High in India, Despite Slow Decline

The Guttmacher Institute released a report, Barriers to Safe Motherhood in India, on July 29th indicating that although maternal mortality in India seems to be declining, it remains unacceptably high. Highlights from the report include:

• India contributes nearly one-quarter of the world's maternal deaths, so its insufficient progress in reducing maternal mortality imperils not only its own targets, but also the global achievement of the Millennium Development Goal to reduce maternal mortality by 75% from 1990 levels by 2015.
• A recent decline in fertility has greatly helped to lower the number of Indian women dying from these causes and their lifetime risk of maternal death.
• Hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death in India; it is responsible for nearly two-fifths of all maternal deaths and thus accounts for half of the direct causes.
• Women's receipt of any professional pre-natal or delivery care has increased dramatically - - by one-half and one-third, respectively.
• Recently enacted programs to improve the safety of pregnancy and childbirth are likely behind the substantial increase in the proportion of women attended by trained professionals at delivery.

What does this report mean for Indian women living abroad, specifically in a time where money and resources can be more scarce?

Community-Based Health Centers Could Save States Millions of Dollars

According to recent study conducted by The George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services - - "Community Health Centers in Indiana: State Investments and Returns" - - these key findings indicate the importance of health care centers in the U.S., particularly to vulnerable populations:

1. For every dollar spent on patient care at an Indiana Community Health Center, $1.90 is saved in overall health care spending when compared with other primary care settings.
2. Indiana CHCs effectively target a population that is economically stressed and financially and medically at risk. Approximately nine in 10CHC patients have incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level(FPL).
3. Health care services provided at Indiana CHCs are less costly than those provided at other outpatient provider settings, with an annual per-patient cost of $1,529 at CHCs versus $2,924 in other settings --resulting in a savings of $1,395 per patient.
4. Lower medical costs resulted in savings of $473 million for Indiana’s health care system realized through the lower cost of health care in ambulatory health center settings as well as reduced spending on hospital emergency room utilization and a lower rate of in-patient hospital admission.
5. In addition to direct savings to the health care system, each dollar spent by the state on I-CHCs is associated with between $6 and $17 of value, in terms of revenues generated from all sources for the delivery of services at I-CHCs.

Although the report is focused in Indiana, the results show they have implications in all states.

To access the report, please visit: http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/dhp_publications/pub_uploads/dhpPublication_A7BA8B9A-5056-9D20-3D3852F88AC4EF03.pdf

Call for Abstracts: Global Health & Innovation Conference

Registration (Early Bird Rate) and Abstract Submission Now Open.

GH/Innovate 2010
Global Health & Innovation Conference
Presented by Unite For Sight
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Saturday, April 17 - Sunday, April 18, 2010

Registration Now Open (Early Bird Registration Rate): http://www.ghinnovate.org/

Call For Abstracts: Submit an abstract online at http://www.ghinnovate.org/
The first deadline for abstract submission is August 15. The final abstract deadline is September 20.

"A Meeting of Minds"?CNN

200 speakers <http://www.ghinnovate.org/speakers>, including keynote addresses by Seth Godin, Jeffrey Sachs and Sonia Sachs. Social innovation sessions by CEOs and Directors of Acumen Fund, Partners in Health, WaterPartners, Save The Children, HealthStore Foundation, and many others.

Asian American Health Conference - Save the Date

The Center for the Study of Asian American Health hosts the 

5th Annual Asian American Health Conference

Reinvesting In Our Communities for Health Equity

October 8-9, 2009

For more information: http://www.med.nyu.edu/csaah/events/conf2009.html

How Health Insurance Reform Will Help Minorities

Below is information that came from the White House Office of Public Engagement on how health reform affects minorities. 

Lower Costs for Minority Families

Preventive Care for Better Health:  Racial and ethnic minorities are often less likely to receive preventive care. Vietnamese women, for example, are half as likely to receive a pap smear, and twice as likely to die from cervical cancer as are Whites. Obesity rates are also high among certain minority groups.  By ensuring all Americans have access to preventive care and by investing in public health, health insurance reform will work to create a system that prevents illness and disease instead of just treating it when it’s too late and costs more. 

Greater Choices

More Affordable Choices and Competition: African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians are all more likely to need a referral in order to see a specialist and they are less likely to get coverage for seeing a doctor outside of the insurance network. Health insurance reform will create a health insurance exchange so you can compare prices and health plans and decide which quality affordable option is right for you and your family.  It will include a competitive public option that increases choices and holds private insurers accountable.  

Quality, Affordable Health Care for Minorities

Eliminate Discrimination in Obtaining Health Insurance:  Health insurance reform will prevent any insurance company from denying coverage based on a person’s medical history, including genetic discrimination, which can disproportionately hurt minority populations.

Make Health Care Accessible to Everyone: African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans are roughly twice as likely to be uninsured as the rest of the population.  By providing health insurance choices to all Americans and providing premium assistance to make it affordable, health insurance reform will significantly reduce disparities in accessing high- quality health care.

Control Chronic Disease:   Nearly half of African Americans suffer from a chronic disease, compared with 40% of the general population.  Chronic illness is growing in other minority communities as well.  Health insurance reform includes a number of programs to prevent and control chronic disease, including incentives to provide medical homes and chronic disease management pilots in Medicare. 

Promote Primary Care: By providing health insurance choices through a health insurance exchange and investing in the primary care workforce (including scholarships and grants to increase diversity in health professions), health reform will make sure that all Americans have access to a primary care doctor so they stay healthier, longer.  It will also strengthen the system of safety-net hospitals and community health centers to ensure high-quality, accessible care.

Fight Health Disparities:  Health reform legislation will require any health care program to report on race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status in order to better understand health disparities, and devote funding to addressing these issues.

Healthy Phirni Alternative (Dessert)

I've made this myself and it's very, very good!

Gur Aur Akhrot Ki Phirni (Sanjeev Kapoor, Khana Khazana)

Ingredients

Brown rice, soaked ¼ cup
Jaggery (gur), grated 4 tablespoons
Walnut kernels ½ cup (Sweta's Note: You can substitute with Almonds and/or Pistachios)
Skimmed milk 5 cups (Sweta's Note: You can also substitute soy milk)
Green cardamom powder ½ teaspoon

Method

1. Drain the rice and grind to a thick paste. Coarsely crush the walnuts, keeping a few aside for garnish.
2. Heat the milk in a deep pan. Add the ground rice and cook, stirring continuously, till the rice is cooked and the mixture is thick enough.
3. Add the green cardamom powder and mix. Add the walnuts and mix.
4. Take it off the heat and add the jaggery and stir till the jaggery dissolves completely.
5. Pour the phirni into earthenware bowls (kasore) and let it cool. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
6. Garnish with a halved walnut in each bowl and serve.

South Asian Communities & Cancer: Raising Awareness, Facing Challenges, Assessing Resources

South Asian Communities & Cancer

Raising Awareness, Facing Challenges, Accessing Resources

Saturday, July 25, 2009

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (Los Angeles, CA)

9:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m

FREE

Morning Session: Impact of Cancer on South Asians

Sharing stories of Courage: Cancer Survivors and Their Families

Afternoon Session: Making A Difference - Cancers Affecting South Asians

Discussion includes Ovarian Cancer, Breast & Cervical Cancer, and Colorectal Cancer

Venue Location:

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

1450 Biggy St, LG Level

Los Angeles, CA 90033

Recipe: Lamb Kofta

Recipe: Lamb Kofta
from Rice of Life by Ameet Maturu

Serves 4

1 lb ground lamb ( grass-fed)
3/4 cup quinoa, cooked
1 egg, beaten
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tsp finely chopped fresh dill
1 tsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
pinch ground cinnamonsalt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Combine lamb and remaining ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. Roll into 8-16 meatballs, of desired size. Put in rectangular baking pan and bake for about 12 minutes.

Recruiting Participants for South Asian Focus Groups in Chicago

A Ph.D candidate at the University of California, Berkeley is conducting a study for his dissertation on understanding the knowledge and use of certain products (bidi's, paan, paan masala, guthka, zarda) by members of the South Asian community in Chicago. The research protocol has beeen approved by the institution's Internal Review Board (committee for protection of human subject's). This study is funded by the National Cancer Institute via a sub-award from the University of California, Davis Cancer Center.

The focus groups (approximately eight individuals in each group) will be held between July 25, 2009 and August 1, 2009, at either the Devon Bank or at the Indo-American Center in Chicago. Participants who meet the criteria for the study will be paid $30 for their time (approximately 1.5 hours). In addition, light refreshments (e.g. chaat) will be served at the focus groups.

Friends, family and/or colleagues that are interested, please contact:
Arnab Mukherjea, MPH
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Candidate
School of Public Health
University of California, Berkeley
Phone: 510.397.0827
Email: amukherjea@cal.berkeley.edu

Health Care Reform

SAALT recently provided a summary of the current state of Obama's proposal for Health Care Reform and how it affects low-income patients and South Asian Americans:

Congress and the White House have made health care reform one of their top priorities. President Obama's proposal for health care reform includes health insurance exchange program that includes "public option" (where low-income patients can choose their own doctors but the government will assist with the expense) and increasing primary care medical services to promote prevention treatments and reduce unnecessary medical procedures.

Recently, there has been a flurry of activity and bill drafting happening in Congress. Three committees in the House of Representatives have presented a discussion draft of health care reform legislation that includes a requirement that all individuals obtain health insurance; a health insurance exchange; a public health insurance option; and improvements to Medicaid and Medicare. The Senate has also been working on the "Affordable Health Choices Act," which includes provisions addressing the choice of coverage options; reduction of health care costs; prevention; modernization of health systems and long term care and services. Negotiations have been underway in the Senate to cut costs within the proposal by reducing subsidies for low-income uninsured populations.

One of the most pressing issues affecting South Asians is health care. In fact, approximately 20 percent of South Asians lack health coverage plans leaving affordable health care out of reach for many community members. In addition, linguistic and cultural barriers prevent many limited English proficient South Asians from being able to communicate effectively with health care professionals and obtain emergency assistance when needed. Community members are encouraged to contact Congress and express support for health care coverage for all, funding for culturally competent and lingustically accessible health care services, and ensuring access to Medicare and Medicaid for non-citizens.

National AIDS Strategy Call/Webinar- Wednesday, July 8, 2009

National AIDS Strategy Call/Webinar

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

2:00pm-3:00pm (PST)

The National Office of AIDS Policy is charged with developing the strategy. The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) is hosting a conference call/webinar about the National AIDS Strategy. Agenda for this call includes:

• Share information regarding perspectives from the broader advocacy community regarding the National AIDS Strategy
• Provide updates on current plans/progress
• Discuss potential implicatons and next steps for the Asian Ameican, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community.

If you are interested in attending, please register by clicking on the link below. https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/821154027
Dial-in information for the call and log-in information for the webinar will be emailed to you upon registration.

For more information, please contact:
Ed Tepporn
HIV Program Director
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Direct Line: (415) 568-3309
Email: etepporn@apiahf.org