Alabama Has Nation’s Highest Rate of Cervical Cancer Death
Alabama has the highest rate of cervical cancer death in the country. African-American women in the state die from the disease at nearly twice the rate of white women. That is according to a report released Thursday by Human Rights Watch, an international nonprofit. Amanda Klasing is a senior researcher who worked on the report.
“This is such a slow growing cancer,” Klasing says. “It is such a preventable form of cancer, that if you have women dying from it, it means something else is wrong in the healthcare system.”
When identified early, the odds of surviving cervical cancer are very good, with a 93% rate of survival after five years. The report says Alabama’s high rate of mortality reflects statewide barriers to care, like not having access to a gynecologist and inadequate health education. It is especially a problem in the Black Belt, a poor, rural part of the state. There, women may drive hours to get a check-up or to see a specialist, if they can get transportation. The report says racial disparities also play a role, with African-American women often diagnosed at a later stage than white women.
“There are structural forms of racism that continue to exist in the health system or that are carry-overs from abuses that existed years ago,” Klasing says.
Human Rights Watch recommends increasing awareness of the HPV vaccine, which prevents the virus that can cause cervical cancer. The group says Alabama should better fund outreach programs in the Black Belt and help people follow preventative guidelines. It also advocates for Alabama to expand Medicaid. Poor, uninsured women in the state are at a higher risk of dying from cervical cancer because they cannot afford treatment.
Birmingham is 3rd worst in the Southeast for ozone pollution, new report says
The American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report shows some metro areas in the Gulf States continue to have poor air quality.
Why haven’t Kansas and Alabama — among other holdouts — expanded access to Medicaid?
Only 10 states have not joined the federal program that expands Medicaid to people who are still in the "coverage gap" for health care
Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing
Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected.
Q&A: How harm reduction can help mitigate the opioid crisis
Maia Szalavitz discusses harm reduction's effectiveness against drug addiction, how punitive policies can hurt people who need pain medication and more.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring a Community Engagement Producer
The Gulf States Newsroom is seeking a curious, creative and collaborative professional to work with our regional team to build up engaged journalism efforts.
Gambling bills face uncertain future in the Alabama legislature
This year looked to be different for lottery and gambling legislation, which has fallen short for years in the Alabama legislature. But this week, with only a handful of meeting days left, competing House and Senate proposals were sent to a conference committee to work out differences.
