One year ago, Elevate Black Health was founded to spotlight the need for representation, especially in public health. Representation matters because it ensures the specific needs, experiences, and health disparities within minority groups like the Black community are acknowledged.
In the past year, the more we dug and reviewed available data the more we discovered just how much disparity exists in our community compared to the whites in virtually every aspect of healthcare, from prevention to diagnosis to treatment.
In our first year, we have published articles on myriads of topics including flu season, autism, caregiving, cancer, children’s health, home safety, as well as teen, men, and women’s health. Here are some of our most impactful post categories with startling discoveries.
#1. Mental Health
It is easy to empathize with someone suffering from an illness that manifests physically on the body. However, the same is not always the case when we meet someone suffering from a disease with no visible body signs. Those who go through mental health challenges often find it hard to explain their condition to those around them, especially in our community where there is still a significant stigma around mental health.
In a post that deviated from what our readers are used to, we interviewed Dr. Candace Layne, a licensed professional counselor and founder of Imagine Counseling Services who explained that mental illness can be inherited. It is a discovery that should reshape how we look at victims suffering from mental health challenges. We also debunked several mental health myths prevalent our community.
#2. Autism
Autism is a genetic disorder that leaves a lifetime scar on the victim, impacting both their cognitive ability and motor skills. The ailment also comes with a physical and emotional burden on the family of the victim. Sadly, our community is still not properly equipped to cater to these groups.
We discussed how to empower adults with autism in our community to live more impactful lives. We also talked about self-care tips for Black moms with autistic kids as well as debunked myths about the disease that are popular in the Black community. Our autism category was very popular among our readers indicating a growing interest in the disease.
#3. Cancer
In 2022, over half a million people died from breast cancer across the globe. Interestingly, whenever the topic of breast cancer pops up, women are the focus. We took a deep dive and discovered there is a growing number of breast cancer deaths among adult Black men. It was a discovery that fascinated readers in our community.
We analyzed the most common cancers affecting our community and how to prevent them. We couldn’t help but also debunk cancer myths widely circulated in our communities as facts. The cancer category was one of our most prolific categories in the past year with eye-opening discoveries.
#4. Caregiver
Many Black adults will at some point in their lives become caregivers to either aging parents, family members, or friends. Sadly, we are often not professionally prepared to take on the demanding roles and it takes its toll on us. We wanted to help with that by equipping caregivers in our community with the knowledge to balance caregiving and avoid the burnout that comes with it.
We discussed fighting caregiver burnout with technology. For families who may want to hire caregivers because of the absence of a family member to take up the role, we highlighted signs that will help you detect and prevent abuse from caregivers. We also covered home safety tips to ensure aging family members don’t become victims of domestic accidents.
#5. Health-Awareness Months
Some months are set aside to create awareness about the existence of certain illnesses. For example, October is designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We understand that lack of proper awareness is the reason why many illnesses disproportionately affect our community.
In this dedicated category, we leverage health awareness month to educate our communities on public health issues, emphasizing how they uniquely affect our communities, how to prevent them, and the myths people should ignore. We joined Nutrition Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month and others in the last year and we hope to join more of these movements in the coming years.
In the future, we plan to have more community outreach opportunities, webinars, and more downloadable and printable items for your home and workplace. We will also strive to collaborate with more community leads. Please reach out if you would like to partner with us.
For more reading:
https://www.elevateblackhealth.com/category/mind
https://www.elevateblackhealth.com/category/autism
https://www.elevateblackhealth.com/category/cancer
https://www.elevateblackhealth.com/category/caregivers
https://www.elevateblackhealth.com/category/health-awareness-months/
