healthnewsjournal

[healthnewsjournal]

Health Care For Those In Police Custody Can Reach A Vulnerable Population

Detainees in police watch-houses have complex health needs in a difficult environment that nevertheless provides a unique chance to "intercept a vulnerable, complex and otherwise hard-to-reach population, and identify unmet health needs," according the authors of a Perspective published today by the Medical Journal of Australia.

Professor Julia Crilly, Professor of Emergency Care at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service and Griffith University, and colleagues reflect on a recent report that indicates 43 (9%) of the 505 deaths in police custody between 1991 and 2016 occurred in a police station, police vehicle, police cell, or watch-house. Almost half of those were deaths due to a medical cause (49%).

"As a group, [police watch-house detainees] are largely disconnected from health services, so beyond their immediate, untreated health problems, comparatively little is known about underlying and unaddressed social determinants," Crilly and colleagues wrote.

"Access to health care in short term custody settings can be hampered by a range of underlying contexts, structures and processes of health care delivery."

Crilly and colleagues have been studying the key challenges for people and systems responsible for the health and safety of detainees in short-term custody.

Individual level challenges:

Detainees have significant health complexities with higher rates of mental illness, substance dependence and communicable diseases; they commonly present with acute exacerbations of chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, asthma, substance dependence, and mental illness; they may also be acutely injured, intoxicated and/or distressed;

Detainees commonly have complex social needs, belonging to multiple categories of vulnerable populations;

Autonomous decision-making is limited for detainees and they rely on police assistance to access services; they may under-report or over-report health issues, either because they are mistrustful of those responsible for their healthcare access.

System level challenges:

Watch-houses are not health care settings and are not necessarily well equipped to manage healthcare delivery and health care settings are not custodial settings—"there are inherent risks when transferring detainees out of a secure setting and into a health care setting";

Watch-houses are not prisons, and may have both children and adults of different genders, all requiring segregation, which presents extra complications during a pandemic;

Police staff are not healthcare professionals but are expected to have a role in health screening of detainees and delivering some minor care—"many watch-house detainees have health problems which necessitate a rapid and effective response … Given the duty of care owed to detainees by police, a risk mitigation approach often guides decision making for transportation [but] there is limited evidence to guide health care management for detainees in police watch-houses."

Inter-agency challenges:

A wide range of providers are involved in the health care of detainees, with "different communication preferences, organizational cultures, professional terminology, procedures, and sometimes different objectives";

Healthcare services need to plan care around criminal justice processes and outcomes that may not yet be determined leading to uncertainty regarding provision of ongoing or follow-up care;

There are considerable costs of health care for watch-house detainees, such as health care personnel, medications, general medical supplies, police escort and guard costs for transfer to and treatment in external health care settings.

"Despite the myriad of challenges, watch-house detention provides a unique opportunity to intercept a vulnerable, complex and otherwise hard-to-reach population, and identify unmet health needs," Crilly and colleagues wrote.

#healthcare news #doctor news

[healthnewsjournal]

Tart Cherry Juice May Help Reduce Inflammation

Even though some juices on the market are loaded with added sugars and may not be completely good for your health, other juices can actually benefit your health in numerous ways. For instance, although it may not be a popular choice, tart cherry juice is known to reduce inflammation in the body and aiding with muscle recovery after a workout.

If you struggle with inflammation, you know how dangerous it can be; according to Harvard Medical School, chronic inflammation is linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and arthritis as well as diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Anything that can offers relief can be a big help, so Jessica Isaacs, RD, CSSD, with Cheribundi, spoke to The Healthy @Reader’s Digest about the specific ways drinking tart cherry can benefit your workouts, muscle recovery, and overall inflammation.

How does tart cherry juice reduce inflammation?

“Tart cherry juice contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory polyphenol compounds—micronutrients that occur naturally in plants—that have been shown by research to accelerate recovery from strength-based exercise, attenuate muscle inflammation and soreness, as well as improve markers of muscle [breakdown],” says Issacs.

Issacs also points to two other studies to prove her point. One comes from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Medicine which shows how tart cherry juice reduces oxidative stress (which causes inflammation in the body) and muscle and cardiac damage following resistance training. The other is from the European Journal of Sports Science which concludes that tart cherry concentrate can also reduce the effects of muscle damage and improve recovery for females.

But does tart cherry juice also work for inflammation not associated with a workout? Yes! Because of the rich nutrients and antioxidants prevalent in this juice, it can help reduce joint pain and inflammation, reducing arthritis symptoms. Tart cherry juice has also promotes better brain health, aids your sleep, and even strengthens the immune system by reducing the risk of infection.

Drinking tart cherry juice is one of the many ways to get antioxidants into your diet, which helps with delaying certain types of cellular damage and reducing the risk of developing a chronic disease, Issacs explains.

Here’s how much tart cherry juice to consume

To reap the most benefit from tart cherry juice, Issacs recommends consuming tart cherry juice an hour post-exercise alongside your workout recovery meal.

“The easiest way to consume enough tart cherries to elicit the benefits associated with reduction of inflammation would be to consume 8 to 12 ounces of a tart cherry juice, a 1-2 oz tart cherry juice concentrate, or pill form of a powdered tart cherry juice,” she says. “These benefits would also apply to fresh or frozen tart cherries, however, the quantity that would need to be consumed to maximize these benefits would be at least 2 cups of cherries, consumed two times a day.”

#nutrition

[healthnewsjournal]

Allied Health Major Lets Students Make a Difference Close to Home

According to Emelis Santos ’24, UConn Waterbury is the place to be. The allied health sciences major has nothing against the main campus in Storrs or any of UConn’s other regional campuses. But the Waterbury native majoring in allied health sciences says the close-knit atmosphere and opportunity to stay close to her community gives Waterbury the edge.

Santos isn’t alone. She joins a growing number of students choosing to attend all four years at the Waterbury campus to pursue allied health sciences since the program’s inception in the fall of 2020. Enrollment in the major has ballooned from 44 students in spring 2021 to 72 in spring 2022. There will be 37 incoming first-year students for the fall 2022 semester as well.

"The allied health major is definitely preparing me to be successful in the future. I’m glad to be a part of this." — Emelis Santos

Santos says she appreciates the manageable size of the Waterbury campus and the allied health program, as it has allowed her to form close relationships with her peers and faculty.

“Since UConn Waterbury is a small place, you get to know your peers more and form a community with them,” Santos says.

Santos says the faculty and staff in the program have supported her at every turn, even helping her decide to pursue the major when she was applying to UConn.

“As a first-generation student, having the support of the allied health [program] is amazing,” Santos says. “I’m glad I’m a part of this.”

Establishing the major at Waterbury was largely inspired by the community, which underscored an unmet need for health care professionals in the area. In 2022, the Health Resources and Services Administration identified low-income Waterbury communities as health professional shortage areas for both primary care and mental health.

“It’s our mission as a land-grant university to address the educational, economic, cultural, and health care needs of our state, and the Allied Health Sciences major at the Waterbury campus is a perfect example of that mission in action,” says Interim Provost Anne D’Alleva. “I’m so pleased to see the partnerships with regional health providers and the growth of the Waterbury campus’s research profile in this area. I’m looking forward to seeing the impact of outstanding students like Emelis Santos in the  community.”

Overwhelmingly, the allied health sciences program at UConn Waterbury attracts students dedicated to contributing to a community in need, says Tamara Kaliszewski, AHS Waterbury faculty lead.

“An overarching goal of bringing the major here was to address the health care provider shortage in the area in the long term,” says Kaliszewski. “Ideally, students [will] return to the community they’re familiar with and will have cultural competence in providing care in this region.”

Next semester, Santos will have the opportunity to put her knowledge into practice through a paid internship with the Waterbury Public Health Department. She will be gathering input from the community about how they feel about the access to and quality of health care in the area.

Starting this fall, students like Santos may also choose to earn course credits for their community internships with partner organizations like the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and Access Rehab.

“These students have a lot on their plates,” Kaliszewski says. “So, any way we can make it easier for them, by offering credit or compensation, then that is a benefit.”

The program has also hired a new faculty member, Pablo Valente, who will establish a research program in AHS at Waterbury. Valente’s research focuses on the connections between socioeconomic status, stigma, and health disparities in access to HIV treatment and preventions among vulnerable populations. The program at UConn will benefit honors students who will be able to conduct thesis research on campus as opposed to having to go to the Storrs campus or conduct virtual research.

“We’re committed to working with stakeholders in the community to ensure our programs respond to their needs, whether it be through culturally competent health care or  economic development,” says Dean Indrajeet Chaubey from UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. “We’re thrilled that UConn’s collective efforts to reach students are having such success in the Allied Health Sciences, with many more to come in the future.”

After UConn, Santos says she wants to attend graduate school to become a physician’s assistant. Through the flexible program at Waterbury, she is even able to take prerequisites for these programs as an undergraduate.

“The allied health major is definitely preparing me to be successful in the future,” Santos says.

#doctor news

[healthnewsjournal]

After Being Ignored By Doctors, African-American COVID Victims Form Support Groups

African-Americans suffering from long-COVID have resulted to forming their own support groups after being ignored by the healthcare system, NBC News reports.

Chimére L. Smith, 40, told NBC News that doctors characterized her as "aggressive" after insisting her headaches were COVID-related.

In March 2020, Smith had a mild case of COVID that she expected to pass in a few weeks.

However, in the months following, the 40-year-old suffered from extreme fatigue, dry mouth, brain fog, diarrhea, and a sore throat.

She also lost 30 pounds and complete vision in her left eye as she struggled with pain in her spine.

After having to visit hospitals constantly, Smith said she contemplated suicide.

“I would come in with notes of my symptoms and share these symptoms with these doctors and they would not hear me. They wouldn’t listen to me. They would treat me as if I was a child and I didn’t know my body,” Smith recalled to NBC News. “I wanted to die because I could not eat. I could hardly drink. I couldn’t think. Everything that I knew about my life within those first two or three months had been destroyed.”

With no help from doctors, Smith turned to a support group she found on Facebook called the BIPOC Women Long Covid ‘Long Hauler’ Support Group, which social epidemiologist Dr. Margot Gage Witvliet created in July 2020 following her own struggles with the virus.

“I wanted to be able to use the fact that I was a professor and a social epidemiologist to really help these women who were suffering,” Witvliet said in a statement. “So that’s what this group has done. And I’ve met some really phenomenal women, and we have lasting friendships in this group because we’re all unified by this trauma that’s happened to us.”

Smith said the group has grown to be a "family" and taught her how to be a better advocate for herself.

“I am very proud to be a part of that group,” said Smith. “As a matter of fact, that group is where I now spend a lot of my time because we’ve become family because we all share the same experiences.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), post-COVID symptoms can last weeks, months, or years and include tiredness or fatigue, worsening of symptoms, fevers, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, heart palpitations, difficulty concentrating or brain fog, headaches, insomnia, dizziness, depression, and anxiety.

Long-COVID is now considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, per Black Enterprise.

 If you or someone you know need mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

#doctor news

[healthnewsjournal]

5 Irresistible Healthy BBQ Menu Ideas

It's time to cook up an outdoor feast of burgers, hot dogs, steak, and ribs. Or is it? A dietitian and classically trained chef offers tips for firing up your cookout with bigger flavor and better nutrition.

Summer Sizzlin

Prime grilling season is Memorial to Labor Day, with Independence Day as the peak. In-season fruits and veggies around July 4 include cantaloupe, mangoes, peaches, strawberries, watermelon, corn, eggplant, green beans, peppers, summer squash, and tomatoes. When fresh produce is seasonal, it’s at its greatest color, ripeness, flavor, and nutritional value.

And even though it’s often natural to think of the grill as a home for mostly meats, there are clever new ways to amp up the nutrition in your BBQ bites. Get added protein from pulses (like dry beans and peas, chickpeas, and lentils), tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, and many plant-based meat alternatives. These can be scrumptious and eaten in addition to, or swapped for, animal-based proteins.

So to take your cookout to the next level,  Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian and author of the upcoming 2023 cookbook, The Plant Love Kitchen (National Geographic), tells The Healthy @Reader’s Digest how you can get the most out of your summer holiday menu.

Triple Up On Veggies Or Fruits For Skewers

“Aim for a ratio of 3:1—that’s three pieces of produce for every piece of fish, chicken, or meat,” Moore says.

We love this: “Thread thick wedges of peaches or nectarines and red onion with chicken or fish for plant-powered skewers everyone will love.”

Serve Fruity Thirst-Quenchers

Whirl up slushies. “Blend frozen cantaloupe cubes with fresh mint for a naturally sweet and hydrating treat,” suggests Moore. Or serve seasonal fruit salsa, juicy watermelon salad, or watermelon gazpacho—all three recipes courtesy of our sibling site, Taste of Home.

Steak It Up

Slice eggplant into thick “steaks”—or, choose jumbo portobello mushroom caps—and grill with the classic trio of oil, salt, and pepper.

Or upgrade eggplant “steaks” into gyros. In late summer, savor cauliflower “steaks” or “steak” tacos, too.

Side Salads With Extra Protein

“For a protein-packed side, try chickpea or red lentil pasta as the base for your cookout pasta salad,” says Moore, who finds “chickpea pasta pairs especially well with tomatoes, olive oil and fresh basil.”

Or keep your chickpeas whole, like in this curried chickpea salad with grilled veggies.

#nutrition #news