CHIBE in the News

Mar 18 2022
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Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly Hospitals and Key Insurers Plan Novel Effort With the City To Improve Health Equity

By In the News

From the Philadelphia Inquirer: For the first time, the region’s largest health systems and its largest insurer are banding together to improve racial equity in health care in Philadelphia. The collaboration, called Accelerate Health Equity, will use pilot programs to try out different approaches and share what is learned. The project will focus on 16 areas, ranging from substance abuse, maternal and infant mortality, obesity/diabetes, and racism in medical settings to food access, housing and community violence. A steering committee with representatives from the 11 participating organizations is expected to meet every six weeks to coordinate and share lessons learned….

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Mar 18 2022
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The Atlantic: America’s Flu-Shot Problem Is Also Its Next COVID-Shot Problem

By In the News

The Atlantic: About 18 years ago, while delivering a talk at a CDC conference, Gregory Poland punked 2,000 of his fellow scientists. Ten minutes into his lecture, a member of the audience, under Poland’s instruction, raced up to the podium with a slip of paper. Poland skimmed the note and looked up, stony-faced. “Colleagues, I am unsure of what to say,” he said. “We have just been notified of a virus that’s been detected in the U.S. that will take somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 lives this year.” The room erupted in a horrified, cinematic gasp. Poland paused, then leaned…

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Mar 17 2022
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Freakonomics MD: How to Save a Stranger’s Heart

By In the News

From Freakonomics MD: There are a lot of stories about cardiac arrest, and each one can help us learn something. Sometimes because the patient also happens to be a researcher. Dr. Kevin Volpp is a doctor and economist at the University of Pennsylvania. You heard him recently on an episode of Freakonomics, M.D., on whether we can pay people to be healthier. Kevin VOLPP: It happened on July 9th of 2021. I had been training for a half Ironman triathlon with one of my daughters. I was probably in the best shape I’d been in since I was 25 years…

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Mar 12 2022
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NPR: CDC’s new COVID metrics can leave individuals struggling to understand their risk

By In the News

From NPR: Some experts do see the new CDC metrics as a sensible shift toward living with the virus – recognizing that many Americans have no tolerance left for mandates and restrictions. “This is a transition that happens for all public health conditions in some way, a balance between collective responsibility and individual responsibility,” argues Dr. Jay Varma, who directs the Weill Cornell Center for Pandemic Prevention and Response and has advised former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Ultimately, he says, public health decisions are made at the local level, not by federal agencies, he says, so the…

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Mar 10 2022
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NPR: Americans Are Stuck in Unhealthy Pandemic Habits. Here’s How To Reboot

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From NPR: The early days of lockdown restrictions had a profound effect on people’s daily lives. Alcohol sales skyrocketed, physical activity dropped off sharply, and “comfort eating” led to weight gain, too. So, what’s happened since March of 2020? After two years of pandemic life, many of these effects persist. The strategies we used to adapt and cope have cemented into habits for many of us. And this is not a surprise to scientists who study behavior change. “We know when a shock arises and forces a change in our behavior for an extended period of time, there tend to…

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Mar 09 2022
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Philadelphia Inquirer: Colonoscopy isn’t the only way to screen for colon cancer. Here are your options

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From The Philadelphia Inquirer: In a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine last year, Shivan Mehta, a gastroenterologist and associate chief innovation officer at Penn Medicine, and his colleagues found that mailing at-home test kits to patients increased screening compliance tenfold. Through a text message “opt-out” system, patients were notified that they’d be receiving a test kit — unless they said they didn’t want one. The two most popular types of at-home tests are: Fecal immunochemical tests (FIT), which require the user to collect a stool sample and send it to a lab, where it is tested…

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Mar 09 2022
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The Philadelphia Inquirer: Colonoscopies save lives, but many Americans don’t get one. Home tests could help change that

By In the News

From The Philadelphia Inquirer: For numerous reasons, Black people have a higher risk of developing colon cancer and higher death rates from the condition compared with white or Latino people. Compared with white men and women, colon cancer rates were 24% higher among Black men and 19% higher among Black women in 2019, according to a report by the American Cancer Society. All three groups get screened at about the same rate. Research shows that the more glaring gaps in colon cancer screening rates fall along income and insurance divisions, rather than racial lines. … “Historically, in this country, the…

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Mar 07 2022
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STAT: Florida’s Decision on COVID Vaccines for Healthy Kids Adds to Confusion and Distrust

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From STAT: Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced Monday that the state will recommend that healthy children not be vaccinated against Covid-19, further muddying already roiling waters over Covid-19 vaccination for kids. Ladapo’s decision is unlikely to interfere with the efforts of parents who want to have their children vaccinated, experts told STAT. But they added it will likely dissuade some parents who have been on the fence. “There are obviously a lot of pediatricians and pediatric care providers in Florida who are very eager to vaccinate kids over 5. And hopefully that signal is loud — louder than this,”…

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Mar 07 2022
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Knowledge@Wharton: Why Employee Wellness Programs Don’t Work

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From Knowledge@Wharton: Many companies have employee wellness programs with the goal of reducing the skyrocketing costs of health care for their workers. But there is little evidence that these programs are effective. Wharton management professors Iwan Barankay and Peter Cappelli suggest that instead of free gym memberships or yoga classes, companies should try to meet the most vulnerable workers where they are by offering support tailored to their needs. Helping those employees find a primary care doctor or transportation to routine appointments, for example, would improve their health outcomes better than cash incentives. “What we need to do is listen…

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Mar 03 2022
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Washington Post: Cities are ditching vaccine mandates to dine out and watch shows. Did they work?

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From The Washington Post: Alison M. Buttenheim, a behavioral scientist and associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, said vaccine mandates can act as a reward for getting a shot. “One thing we are solving for is allowing people to live as close to a normal, unrestricted life,” Buttenheim said. “For a vaccinated person, that’s good for my mental health, connections, social interactions and feeling reassured my city is watching out for me.” Read more in The Washington Post.

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