Community News

 

WASHINGTON, DC – August 16, 2022 – On August 16^th, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) lowering the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare recipients and people in the Health Insurance Marketplace. After the Senate ratified the bill, Biden told reporters, “When you sit down at that kitchen table at the end of the month, you’re going to be able to pay a whole hell of a lot more bills because you’re paying less in medical bills.”

America is the only developed nation in the world where a citizen can become destitute because of the high cost of health care. Cash-strapped hard-working Americans have to compromise their health by spending their limited resources on food and shelter instead of prescription medicine.

Some of the provisions of the IRA are:

• The federal government will be able to negotiate prices of certain drugs with drug companies
• Insulin co-payments are capped at $35 a month
• Out-of-pocket costs for prescription medicines are capped at $2,000 annually
• Drug companies will offer rebates if drug prices outpace inflation

Notable impacts are:

• Between 1-2 million people will save on the cost of their prescription medicine
• In 2020, over 3 million Americans needed insulin to treat diabetes. It is estimated that many insulin-dependent people will benefit from this bill.

 

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Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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TUSCALOOSA, AL – June 28, 2022 –  Heat-related illness is the #1 cause of weather-related fatalities in the U.S. This is associated with higher temperatures and more frequent heat waves from climate change. People are susceptible to heat-related illness when core temperatures rise to 106 degrees. University of Michigan Public Health Professor Marie O’Neil comments, “Hot weather has unequal impacts, and seniors, very young children, outdoor workers, people without access to air conditioning, and those with chronic illnesses are among the most vulnerable.” Everyone needs to take frequent breaks out of the heat, drink plenty of water and wear light-colored, lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.

On June 28^th, NBC news reported a new OSHA pilot-study in Alabama for the prevention of heat-related illness with arm bands that measure core temperature. At-risk workers at Black Warrior Brewing Company in Tuscaloosa participated in the study. Many load kegs and pallets onto trucks in the scorching Alabama summer heat. Workers take a break when their core temperature reach 100 degrees.

Millions of people in the U.S. are exposed to heat at work. Some indoor industries where workers have suffered heat-related illness are kitchens, bakeries, steel mills and warehouses. At-risk outdoor industries include farming, construction and landscaping. A disproportionate number of these jobs are held by people of color.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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WASHINGTON, DC – December 2, 2022 – The U.S. public health emergency for the disease formerly known as monkeypox will end on January 31, 2023. According to CDC data, the average number of cases a week have been sharply reduced from a peak of 600 at the beginning of August to fewer than 10 at present. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a prepared statement, “we will continue to monitor the case trends closely and encourage all at-risk individuals to get a free vaccine.”

The World Health Organization renamed monkeypox mpox last month to remove the association between the disease and monkeys. It was first discovered in 1958 after outbreaks of the disease occurred in laboratory monkeys by a virus related to the smallpox virus. However, the source of the disease is unknown.

Mpox is a communicable disease that has spread to more than 70 countries and has infected about 30 thousand people in the U.S. this year. Until the recent outbreak, monkeypox has been endemic in central and western Africa. The virus can reside in African rodents and non-human primates and can infect people. Cases outside of Africa were either related to human travel or through the export of animals. The recent worldwide outbreak is from the milder West African strain and is rarely fatal. The first cases were detected in the U.S. in mid-May.

Mpox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms but milder. They can include: fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, and chills followed by a painful rash. The rash, ranging from a few lesions to thousands, can appear like pimples or fluid-filled blisters before scabbing over.

The disease can spread from contact with an infected person or infected animal, although not as rapidly as COVID-19. The virus is primarily spread through direct contact with the rash, scabs or bodily fluids or with contaminated items, like clothing or bedsheets. Most of the mpox cases outside of Africa have been spread through contact among men who have had sex with men. However, women and children can develop the disease by touching an infected person or contaminated item.

Embracing effective public health practices by the gay community have almost completely eliminated the disease in the U.S. Dr. Daniel Griffin, chief of the Division of Infectious Disease for Optum Health, said via email to USA Today, “The most impacted population were quick to embrace vaccines, proactive about getting treated, really did reduce risky behaviors.”

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NC – 2021 – The NC General Assembly requires that local public health departments conduct a community health assessment (CHA) every 3-4 years to identify the strengths, resources and needs of each region. The information is compiled into a written report that provides information about the community’s health and a plan for improvement. The report is used to develop a plan for action to address the priorities identified by the CHA.

A CHA, also referred to as a community health needs assessment (CHNA), identifies key health needs and issues through data collection and analysis through the systemic examination of the health status indicators for the population. Methods are through community engagement and collaborative participation. This leads to strategy development, planning and action to address health needs and issues.

The important features of the CHA are that it:

• Encourages multisector collaborations
• Includes assessment, development, implementation and evaluation
• Involves diverse community engagement
• Addresses disparities
• Uses evidence-based interventions
• Promotes transparency
• Uses high-quality data

A community health improvement plan (CHIP) is the long-term systemic effort to address the health problems identified in the community health assessment. The CHA is updated every 3-5 years. The plan is used by government agencies in collaboration with community partners to focus efforts and coordinate resources. It is aspirational and addresses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the community so that its resources can be allocated to best meet the community’s needs.

The most recent Buncombe County Community Health Assessment was in 2021. Data was obtained through stakeholder meetings of the CHIP Advisory Council of 52 agencies, from the Western North Carolina Regional Community Health Assessment Survey and from community health data across different demographics.

After identifying the most significant community concerns, the Advisory Council prioritized areas of focus:

• Birth outcomes/ infant mortality
• Mental health & substance use
• Chronic health conditions: heart disease & diabetes

The CHA concluded that these health focus areas disproportionately impact marginalized groups. Racism, both systemic and structural, are root causes of health and life course disparities linked with the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). The CDC defines the SDoH as conditions in the places where people live, learn, age, work and play that affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life-risks and outcomes. They drive 80% of health outcomes and highly correlate with race, age, gender, and income. The development, planning and action for each of the 3 health focus areas will be determined after meeting with focus groups in 2022.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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ASHEVILLE, NC – December 14, 2022 – The CDC reports that the community level for Buncombe County is low for the week ending December 6^th. Most of the counties in North Carolina are low and 1 county is at a high community level. Most of the counties in the U.S. are at a low level with less than 10% of the counties at a high level. For a county at a low community level, the CDC recommends:

• You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
• If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask in a public indoors space and take additional precautions.

The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on December 3^rd indicate:

• The data from the last 2 weeks is incomplete. With the best available data, last week’s total cases are 229, up 26% from 182 the previous week.
• 67% of the total population have received their initial vaccination series. Unchanged over the past 17 weeks.
• 27% of people with their initial vaccination series have had the new bivalent booster up 1% from last week.
• The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 40 and has increased by 2 since last week, and of ICU patients is 4 and has decreased by 4 from the previous week.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:

• Stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
• People with any COVID symptoms should get tested
• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home

Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.

An updated COVID-19 booster is now available for eligible persons 6 months and older. This new booster targets 2 versions of the COVID virus, the original virus and the new dominant BA.4 and BA.5 variants. Eligible persons must be at least 2 months after any prior COVID-19 shots and have had the initial vaccination series. The CDC advises that people who recently had COVID consider delaying their boosters until 3 months after their symptoms started or 3 months after a positive COVID test if they were asymptomatic. The updated booster shot is available at the Department of Public Health Coxe Avenue vaccination clinic, pharmacies, community health centers and rural health clinics.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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BOSTON, MA – September 26, 2022 – The new Alzheimer’s drug Lecanemab significantly slowed the rate of cognitive decline in patients with early-stage disease according to a study published September 26^th in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr Babek Tousi, the lead investigator at the Cleveland Clinic study site, opined, “finally we may have a medication that is showing efficacy in this primary outcome of this study.”

 Dr. Christopher Van Dyck, the director of the Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, presented the results at a medical meeting in San Francisco. He said that “Lecanemab reduced markers of amyloid in early Alzheimer’s disease and resulted in less decline than placebo on all measures of cognition and function at 18 months.” The new drug Lecanemab (developed at 2 pharmaceutical companies) is an anti-amyloid antibody that helps remove amyloid plaques. Amyloid is a protein that accumulates in the brain of people afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. It binds with tau protein to form plaques that can affect brain cell function and cause loss of memory and confusion, the hallmark symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Hundreds of anti-amyloid drugs have been trialed or are in the midst of clinical studies, most with discouraging results. Biogen’s drug Aducanumab created much noise with a recent controversial study that, nevertheless, won accelerated FDA approval. However, the drug was not covered by Medicare due to its high price, unwanted complications and a strong belief that there was little evidence that it slowed cognitive impairment in early Alzheimer’s disease.

1,800 people with mild Alzheimer’s disease were enrolled in the study. Participants were assigned to either the drug treatment group or the placebo group. Approximately 25% of the participants were from minority groups, which was comparable to the Medicare population. The drug was administered intravenously, twice a week. The side-effects of treatment with Lecanemab included brain swelling or brain bleeding in about 20% of the patients. Most of these people were asymptomatic. The adverse effects were significantly more than the 9% occurrence rate in the placebo group. However, this complication occurred less frequently than in patients taking Aducanumab in the Aducanumab study.

The pharmaceutical companies have already applied for an accelerated FDA approval to authorize the use of Lecanemab. A decision is expected in January. Full approval will require longer clinical trials.

If the drug gets FDA approval, then cost may be a concern. The cost of the controversial anti-amyloid medicine Aducanumab is $28 thousand a year.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour