Both Johns Hopkins? and The University of Maryland, Baltimore?s health schools are looking at the barriers facing minorities seeking health care.
“We?re trying to find out what can be done,” says Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing?s Fannie Gaston-Johansson. “It might involve the waiting times for medical appointments, or health insurance, or access to care. It can even just simply involve patients being able to communicate with someone who understands them.”
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The University of Maryland recently dedicated an institute to studying the disparity in minority health care and directing research towards reducing these differences.
Male infertility
About 30 percent of couples unable to conceive suffer from male infertility issues, according to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine?s Health News.
Whether the problem turns out to be an endocrine disorder, infection, genital abnormality or a side effect of surgery, often surgical procedures can harvest enough sperm to allow the man to father his own children.
As with any IVF procedure, there?s no pregnancy guarantee, said fertility expert Karen Boyle, though her microsurgical approaches do make it possible for men who don?t ejaculate sperm to have their own child.
Cold weather
Exposure to cold, whether indoors or outside, can cause serious or life-threatening health problems from slipping on ice to frostbite or hypothermia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Infants and the elderly are particularly at risk, but anyone can be affected.
The CDC suggests keeping several days? supply of the following in their “Winter Survival kit for Your Home”:
» Food that needs no cooking or refrigeration ? bread, crackers, cereal, canned foods and dried fruits. Remember baby food and formula if necessary.
» Water ? 5 gallons per person ? in case your pipes freeze and burst.
» Medicines that any family member may need.
More information is available at bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/guide.asp.
