Why Is Glaucoma Blinding Black Americans First?
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness among Black and Hispanic Americans, and it announces itself only after the damage is permanent. That combination is what makes it different from almost every other threat to sight. There is no pain, no blur, no red flag. Glaucoma erodes peripheral vision so gradually that the brain […]
What Happens When a Neighborhood Has No Dental Care?
Dental care is the only major category of medical treatment that federal law lets states skip entirely for adults. Children are protected. Adults are a line item, and whether yours gets funded depends on which side of a state border you sleep on. That is the mechanism behind a neighborhood with no dentist. It is […]
Sickle cell breakthroughs — the gene therapy advances that could change everything for patients
Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that affects approximately 100,000 Americans, with Black Americans accounting for the vast majority of those diagnosed. For most of the history of this disease, treatment options were limited primarily to managing the painful vaso-occlusive crises that define the lived experience of sickle cell, preventing complications with a […]
Breast cancer survivors — 13 Black women share the strength that carried them through
Breast cancer statistics for Black women tell a deeply troubling story. Black women are diagnosed at a younger median age than white women, face a significantly higher mortality rate, and are more likely to develop the hardest to treat forms of the disease. But statistics have never been able to capture what actually happens inside […]
Smartphone app for advanced cancer — the digital breakthrough giving patients more good days
Smartphone app technology is opening a new chapter in how advanced cancer patients manage their symptoms and maintain their quality of life between clinical visits. New research presented at a major oncology conference has found that patients who used a digital symptom-tracking tool reported better overall wellbeing, fewer hospital admissions, and shorter hospital stays compared […]
Sleep deprivation — the powerful steps that can transform your nights starting today
Sleep deprivation is quietly undermining the health of millions of Americans, and Black adults are consistently bearing the heaviest burden of this growing crisis. While poor sleep has long been dismissed as a personal inconvenience, mounting evidence now frames it as a serious public health concern, particularly within communities already navigating deep health disparities. Federal […]
Understanding nutrition in the Black community
Black Americans are diagnosed with hypertension at higher rates than any other racial group in the United States. Type 2 diabetes follows a similar pattern. These are not random outcomes. They are shaped by decades of unequal access to healthcare, economic inequality, and food environments that have historically offered fewer nutritious options in predominantly Black […]
Asthma Kills Black Americans at Twice the Rate. Here’s why
Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory conditions in the United States, affecting more than 24 million people according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It narrows the airways, produces inflammation, and generates symptoms that range from mild wheezing to episodes severe enough to require emergency care. For most patients, the […]
Why COPD and pneumonia are hitting Black Americans harder
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly known as COPD, and pneumonia frequently occur together, and when they do, the combination is dangerous. For Black Americans, systemic barriers to care make that danger significantly harder to navigate. The numbers that exist tell part of the story, but experts say the more serious problem is the patients those […]
Black Health Matters launches Our Health Our Wellness Today
The Black Health Matters Foundation launched Our Health Our Wellness Today April 1, 2026, a month-long observance designed to address the health disparities that continue to affect Black and Brown communities across the country. The initiative, referred to as OHOW, centers on prevention, early intervention and improved access to health resources, with the longer-term goal […]