Tag: health

Black Women Founders Bring COVID-19 Screening Stations to Schools, Offices, Prisons and More

With COVID-19 infections topping more than 2.2 million in the United States, Black and Brown communities continue to be among the hardest-hit populations in the country. The coronavirus pandemic has brought to the forefront the vital need for ongoing temperature monitoring as a first line of defense, in fact, in some states, certain employers are required to conduct routine onsite temperature checks as a permissible screening mechanism.

“We are thrilled to be working with such a respected team of engineers and software developers to expand our company’s capability and assist in reducing the risk of the spread of the virus,” says Lynda. Their Maryland-based company will sell these temperature screening stations under their own brand called Orange ThermoControl™ and Orange ThermoControl Plus™ powered by Promobot.

“These stations are game-changers and have the ability to impact a lot of people by bringing this safety solution to the masses,” says Carolyn.

Their devices are free-standing and offer a non-contact thermal temperature reader, camera, 21.5″ display, face recognition module, access control system module, advance notification system, built-in speakers for audio assistance, and customizable software integration. The stations provide a fast, convenient, contact-free process for measuring body temperature and allows communication between user and remote operator with privacy in mind. Telepresence mode is an advanced notification system able to integrate with a company’s CRM access control systems and satisfies ADA standards for accessible design.

Even more, Orange ThermoControl™ and Orange ThermoControl Plus™ powered by Promobot are programmed and assembled in the USA. Installation consists of three quick steps and does not require any prolonged commissioning.

“We see our products as a necessary enhancement to safety protocols to assist with the health and well-being of people everywhere. There is no need to take a chance and risk your staff and employees’ exposure to COVID-19 when we have the solution,” they add.

Source: https://www.blackbusiness.com/2020/06/black-women-founders-using-thermal-robotics-rapid-test-kits-fight-covid-19.html

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

LACDMH Resources:

The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) supports the wellbeing of our County family, friends and colleagues. News and updates about COVID-19 may trigger anxiety, panic, frustration and depression—even when your risk of getting sick is low. During an infectious disease outbreak, please take the time to care for your own physical and mental health, and please reach out to others in kindness and compassion.

LACDMH has published the following materials to address mental health & wellbeing needs and concerns:

Why is the coronavirus deadly for so many African Americans in LA?

NEWS STORIES

Why is the coronavirus deadly for so many African Americans in LA?

Written by Nigel Duara May. 11, 2020 HEALTH & WELLNESS

Spread of the virus has been fairly egalitarian among races. But the death toll is hitting L.A. County’s black residents the hardest.Graphic by CalMatters.

When he worked at a hospital in downtown Los Angeles, Dr. Gregory Taylor saw cases that reflected the community where he grew up: a host of underlying health conditions killing black patients.

Taylor, an internist, called those conditions —diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory diseases —“a part of the community fabric” among black residents of South Los Angeles.

“It’s true across our ethnicity as a whole,” said Taylor, who grew up in Leimert Park and now works at Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California. “What you see over and over is black folks in a poorer state of health.”

Now those underlying conditions are contributing to African Americans’ vulnerability to COVID-19, which is killing them at the highest rate among all races in Los Angeles County.

Of the 1,418 people who died in Los Angeles County –by far the largest number in California –12.5 percent are black residents, even though they make up 8 percent of the population, according to the Department of Public Health’s dashboard.

A disparate death rate

The spread of the virus in Los Angeles County has been relatively egalitarian: No matter how rich, or white, or educated the neighborhood, nearly every area has confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Some of the highest infection rates are in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Melrose, wealthy ZIP codes where more than 75 percent of the population is white.

But the impacts once the coronavirus reaches a neighborhood are a different story.

For instance, in Inglewood, which has one of the largest black populations in Los Angeles County, the death rate from the virus is 34 per 100,000 residents, while in majority-white Glendale, just 14 miles away, it’s 18 deaths per 100,000,according to the county’s dashboard data.

Part of the explanation could be the high rates of underlying health conditions among the area’s black residents. Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma all lead to more severe outcomes for people with COVID-19.

Residents of the county’s South region, which includes Inglewood, have nearly twice the rate of diabetes as residents of the San Fernando Valley area, which includes Glendale. When asked by UCLA researchers to rate their own health, 25 percent of residents in Inglewood answered fair or poor, the lowest scores in the county, compared with 15% in Glendale.

Source: -cont- https://www.kcrw.com/news/articles/why-is-the-coronavirus-deadly-for-so-many-african-americans-in-la

It’s No Surprise Black and Brown Communities Are Hit Hard by COVID-19

At age 26, recently engaged and about to start my first grown-up managerial position in city government, I was handed a hefty report summarizing the results of my “comprehensive executive health assessment,” an onboarding requirement for all the city’s newly hired managers. The process had included an extensive physical examination, a lengthy written questionnaire, and an hourlong in-person interview with a nerdy, non-smiling white guy who took detailed notes on my diet, lifestyle and mental health.

I relaxed immediately when I saw I had received an overall rating of “excellent health.” Then I turned to the last page of the report and read some alarming news. If I were to die in the next year, the report informed me, the likeliest cause of death would be homicide.

The next day, my first call was to Mr. Non- Smiley.

“Hey, I got my health assessment,” I began, trying to sound managerial and calm while feeling anything but, “and I have a few questions. Since I was found to be in excellent health, I was a little surprised to learn about my risk of being murdered. Do you know something I don’t know?”

“Well, first, Miss Belk, let me just say we are very objective,” he replied in a dry monotone. “It’s all about data and the model.”

“OK, so why did the model conclude that I’m at risk of being killed?”

“You’re an otherwise healthy African American woman between the ages of 21 and 30. The data show that if you were going to die today, it would likely be the result of a homicide.”

“So, what’s that about? My age, my race, my gender?”

“Oh, race by far,” he said quickly. “If you were white, it would likely be some type of accident. Car, probably.”

The “it” part — the likely cause of death; in my case, homicide — jarred me. Silence. Mr. Non-Smiley, breaking the silence, and finally showing a little compassion in his own awkward way.

“You know, Miss Belk, it’s only data. Besides, once you make it to your 30s, heart disease, stroke and cancer kick in as key data points.”

I did make it to 30. But my big sister, Vickie, and cousin Darryl didn’t. They both were murdered, victims of gun violence in their 20s.

Neither of us knew it at the time, but Mr. Non-Smiley had given me my first lesson in what public health professionals call “the social determinants of health,” a fancy way of saying that your income, ZIP Code and race can and often do determine your health, longevity and even your cause of your death.

What I know now is that the long history of racial discrimination in our country has led not only to economic disparities but to poorer health outcomes for black people.

Consider what’s happening right now with the coronavirus. In cities across the country, COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting black and brown communities.In Louisiana, black people account for 32% of the population but 56% of the COVID-19 deaths. In Chicago, black people account for about 55% of the deaths, but only about a third of the population. Americans have lived with this kind of data for a long time, on disease after disease. It’s about time we did some new modeling where racial equity is front and center.

Source: -cont- https://www.calwellness.org/stories/its-no-surprise-black-and-brown-communities-are-hit-hard-by-covid-19/

Dr. Chandra Ford Explains Why Coronavirus Is Hitting African American Communities the Hardest

Although there is still so much medical professionals don’t know about COVID-19, preliminary data throughout the country point to racial disparities in the pandemic.

Recent Southern California numbers show African Americans account for 15 percent of the novel coronavirus-related illnesses and deaths, despite the fact that they only make up 9 percent of Los Angeles County’s population. Dr. Chandra Ford, Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Sciences at UCLA and Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice and Health, tells Inside the Issues that, initially, data didn’t seem to suggest high rates of illness in African American communities.

“In Los Angeles when we first started getting data, the data suggested that the highest rates of COVID-19 infection were actually occurring in the wealthier communities and that seemed premature to me and my colleagues,” she said. “In part because testing was not widely available to everyone and that seemed to reflect people who had access to testing and people who had traveled abroad.”

Dr. Ford said the messaging in black communities has gone from seeing it as a virus that affects groups differently to stigmatizing why certain groups are contracting the coronavirus. She said lower-income communities aren’t able to easily access hospitals or high-quality health care.

Source: https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/inside-the-issues/2020/04/23/why-the-coronavirus-is-hitting-african-american-communities-the-hardest