The Boston Globe Media’s fourth annual Globe Summit, titled “Boston’s Breakthroughs,” will bring together leading figures from various sectors to discuss solutions to critical challenges facing Boston and beyond. The summit, taking place on September 25th and 26th, will feature insightful conversations led by Boston Globe journalists with prominent speakers from organizations tackling issues such as climate change, health equity, workforce development, and food sustainability.
Racism pervades healthcare systems worldwide, threatening the health and lives of patients. Journalist Layal Liverpool’s new book, “Systemic,” explores the historical legacy and persistent trends of racial inequities in medicine. Liverpool highlights stories of individuals working to bridge racial gaps in healthcare, education, and research. She emphasizes that recognizing racism as the root cause of health disparities is crucial for progress. Liverpool’s book aims to raise awareness and spark a collective effort towards creating a more equitable and just healthcare system.
Across the United States, a trend is emerging to integrate oral health services into medical checkups, particularly for children and pregnant women who may face challenges in accessing dental care independently. This integration aims to address the high prevalence of oral disease among these populations, train primary care providers in oral health assessment and prevention, and connect patients with dentists or dental hygienists for further treatment. Federally funded programs have played a significant role in expanding these efforts, but socioeconomic disparities, workforce shortages, and the needs of migrant communities pose ongoing challenges. Dental hygienists embedded within medical practices have proven effective in increasing the frequency of fluoride application and improving parents’ knowledge about dental care. The integration of oral health services into prenatal visits for pregnant women also presents opportunities to improve oral health outcomes, given the increased frequency of appointments and access to dental coverage during pregnancy. However, financial uncertainty resulting from the unwinding of pandemic-related Medicaid expansions and workforce shortages in dental professions continue to hinder the expansion of these programs and the provision of comprehensive oral health care to vulnerable populations.
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has approved over $90 million in funding for new patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER), research to enhance CER rigor and quality, and a project to implement PCORI-funded research findings into practice. These awards aim to fill evidence gaps in various health conditions and explore strategies to optimize care delivery for underserved populations.
For years, an outdated medical test inappropriately calculated the need for kidney transplants, resulting in thousands of Black patients being placed lower on the waitlist. However, in 2023, race was eliminated as a factor in the algorithm, and 14,280 Black candidates moved up. This is one example of addressing historical health inequities in the kidney transplant system. Experts emphasize that race is not a risk factor for kidney disease, and bias in medical care must be eliminated.
