681: Utah State Disability Research, Maternal Implicit Bias Training

JANSON SILVERS:   

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, June 7, 2024. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. 

AUDREY JUHASZ:   

We're looking at 11 different types of chronic health conditions things like arthritis, diabetes, cancer, and heart conditions, and looking at the patterns and prevalence of having one or more of these conditions among people with disabilities. 

SILVERS:   

The Institute for Disability Research Policy and Practice at Utah State is one of the grant recipients from ASTHO and the Association of University Centers on Disability for their work on disability data analysis. Dr. Audrey Juhasz, is a researcher at the institute and says the biggest surprise of the findings is that having a disability is the number one social determinant of health that makes someone susceptible to a chronic health condition. 

JUHASZ:   

So, we've been looking between states, between genders, the household income, urbanicity, age, and over and over again, we're seeing that it just doesn't appear that there's any specific group that really stands out as having better outcomes in terms of chronic health conditions.  

SILVERS:   

Although location is not a factor in whether or not someone with a disability has a chronic health condition, it is a factor in whether or not they get appropriate help.  

JUHASZ:   

We know that resources are not equally distributed in rural and urban areas. Therefore, there's this disconnect between people who have those chronic health conditions and being able to get resources and treatment for them depending on where they're living. 

SILVERS:   

With the numbers being so prevalent across the country, Juhasz says this points to a systemic failure, which hopefully will lead to a nationwide discussion. 

JUHASZ:   

Our results may help decision makers understand what the current system appears to be and how it's consistently failing those who are most vulnerable in our population.  

SILVERS:   

You can read your houses research by using the link in the show notes. 

A recent Stateline article about research done by teams at USC San Francisco says some states are taking a new approach to confront implicit bias in maternal health. Nada Hassanein wrote the Stateline story. 

NADA HASSANEIN:   

They've been tracking anti-bias efforts at the state level. And so according to their tracking efforts, at least five states have enacted laws mandating implicit bias training for maternal healthcare providers. 

SILVERS:   

The trainings are conducted in different formats. 

HASSANEIN:  

You know, sometimes it takes the form of a weekend workshop or one day workshop. Other times it's an online course. But the common denominator is participants, you know, typically examine certain scenarios and learn about the history and harms of racial stereotypes within the U.S. 

SILVERS:   

Hassanein says these states are the first but others are taking notice. 

HASSANEIN: 

Lawmakers in more than a dozen other states have introduced legislation to mandate some type of implicit bias training. So, you know, experts are really trying to kind of leverage the research that we do have and kind of bring it to lawmakers and share you know, hey, this is one aspect of the many disparities that patients of color face. 

SILVERS:   

You can find the full Stateline piece using the link in the shownotes.  

Also this morning, ASTHO has a large curated collection of resources dedicated to addressing moral injury, burnout, resilience, and retention for public health agencies. Protect and support your teams by checking out the PH Hero Workforce Resource Center. You can find tools, literature, and more. There's a link in the show notes.  

Finally, stay connected to the latest in public health news. When you sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly email newsletter. The link is in the show notes.  

That'll do it for today. We're back on Monday morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Janson Silvers. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great weekend.