The Health Divide: More women dying at southern border amid dangerous temps

As sweltering summer temperatures sweep the southern border, more women are dying at the U.S.-Mexico border than ever before, reports Jessica Kutz at The 19th.

Historically, men seeking work made up the majority of migrants crossing the border desert, putting them at risk from dangerous conditions such as scorching heat. But a variety of factors, such as lack of jobs and gang persecution, are pushing women and their children to migrate, too.

Climate change is also a factor: It’s leading to lower farming yields and food insecurity in some parts of the world. Disasters intensified by climate change are associated with higher rates of domestic violence and sexual assault in their aftermaths, leading to more migration as well, Kutz writes.

The humanitarian organization No More Deaths, which tracks migrant deaths, reported in March that 51% of deaths along a border stretch in Texas and New Mexico were women — the first time anywhere along the border that women’s deaths outpaced men. Death rates for women appear to be rising in other datasets as well, Kutz reports.

“Any figure is also likely an undercount,” Kutz adds, “in part because of the vastness of the U.S.-Mexico border … and because of how animals and the elements scatter remains.”

Some would-be migrants, frustrated by delays at official entry points, try to walk across the Arizona-Sonora desert, which is a “recipe for death,” said Brad Jones, a volunteer and media liaison for Human Borders, which maintains water stations along the deadly route. Extreme heat can kill within hours, Kutz reports.

In the No More Deaths dataset, the most common cause of death was drowning, followed closely by heat-related deaths, dehydration and injuries.

Deadly heat is also creating a “death sentence” in America’s prisons, where nearly 40% of prisoners are Black, almost 30% are Hispanic, and nearly 3% are Native American, reports Willy Blackmore at Word in Black.

Texas, Florida and California have the most days when prisoners are exposed to dangerous heat, Blackmore reports. A woman died in the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla earlier this month when the temperature reached 110 degrees. The overcrowded facility does not have air conditioning, Blackmore reports; most California prisons use evaporative coolers or fans.

Trancita Ponce, a prisoner at the same facility, described hot air in rooms, temperatures up to 97 degrees, and headaches and vomiting among prisoners in a statement from the California Coalition for Women Prisoners.

“They’re not doing anything for us,” Ponce said.

Anti-DEI laws could exacerbate health disparities for patients of color

People of color prefer doctors who match their race, and may get better health outcomes from such care. But opposition to diversity policies threatens progress medical schools have made in recruiting students of color, reports Lauren Sausser at KFF Health News.

Sausser uses the state of Mississippi, one of the nation’s unhealthiest, as a lens on the problem. Nearly 40% of the state’s population identifies as Black or African American, but only 10% of state physicians are Black. According to a 2019 state report, of the state’s 82 counties, nearly two dozen don’t have any Black doctors (four counties don’t have any physicians, period).

The problem can be traced back to a long history of systemic racism. The University of Mississippi didn’t admit Black students until after the 1964 Civil Rights Act banned segregation in higher education; the first Black doctor graduated in 1972. Before that, the state diverted Black applicants to historically Black colleges and universities instead.

But such medical schools historically had low standards for admissions and didn’t provide excellent education, reports Jennifer Porter Gore at Word in Black, citing the landmark 1910 Flexner report on medical education in the U.S.

In 2023, the Supreme Court banned affirmative action in college admissions, eliminating one route by which medical schools could have boosted numbers for medical students of color.

This challenge comes on top of other factors that keep Black students away from medical careers, such as tuition costs and lack of exposure to medical careers, Gore reports.

Medical schools can still take other measures that might draw applicants of color, though. For example, the University of Mississippi’s School of Medicine sponsors special visiting days for African American, Hispanic and Native American high school students.

The school also helps applicants from underrepresented backgrounds with MCAT test preparation.

Another potential solution is free med school tuition, which would make the training more accessible to students of color who lack their own financial resources. Johns Hopkins University recently announced that its medical tuition would be waived for students whose households earn less than $300,000 per year.

“I think it may actually help to get that more diverse pool of applicants,” Dr. Atul Grover, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and executive director of the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute, told STAT’s Annalisa Merelli.

Women miss out on key health screenings

Women’s health is getting worse, according to a new survey by Gallup and women’s health group Hologic.

Globally, women’s emotional health is worse than men’s, and worse than it was during the pandemic. Nearly one-third of women are in daily pain, according to the survey.

And many women are skipping recommended screenings for cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes or sexually transmitted diseases. That includes 43% of U.S. women who’ve skipped or delayed a recommended screening test.

Black women in the U.S. were more likely to say screenings are important to them, and less likely to skip them.

The reasons for missed screenings included lack of time, financial resources or insurance to cover the procedures. “Women have trouble prioritizing their own health,” writes Katia Hetter at CNN. Those surveyed often had other priorities, such as work or care for family members.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine says the U.S. should invest more in research on chronic illness in women, including better diagnostic tools, reports Sabrina Malhi at The Washington Post.

Nearly half of U.S. counties are cardiology deserts

Almost half of U.S. counties lack even a single heart specialist, and these tend to be rural areas with socioeconomically disadvantaged residents, according to a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Native Americans were the group most likely to inhabit cardiologist-free zones.

Rural areas tend to have residents who have more medical issues such as obesity and diabetes, meaning they are even more desperate for cardiology care, writes Erika Edwards at NBC News.

“Though heart disease is the nation’s No. 1 killer, people living in rural areas are dying earlier and more often from heart disease that could’ve been prevented,” writes Edwards, citing a May report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some patients are forced to drive for hours to see a cardiologist. But remote care can provide a workable solution for some patients, Edwards reports. For example, cardiologists at Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, cover 86 counties across four states and regularly consult with local physicians.

“Remote care can be the great equalizer,” said Dr. Steve Ommen, a cardiologist and medical director at the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Digital Health in Rochester, Minnesota.

From the Center for Health Journalism

July 31, 10–11 a.m. PDT: Join us for a webinar, “Disappearing Options: Tracking the Story on Reproductive Health Care.” Our expert panel will discuss the latest developments, analyze their impact on care, and uncover timely stories waiting to be told. Featuring Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Maya Manian of the American University College of Law, and Eleanor Klibanoff of The Texas Tribune. Sign-up here!

What we’re reading

• “‘We’ve created medical refugees.’ LGBTQ+ health care workers fight for gender-affirming care amid rise in anti-trans laws,” by Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times
• “Black women call attention to poor medical outcomes, persistent mistreatments in American health care system,” by Reginal Williams, The AFRO
• “Tasers can kill. When they don’t, they can still do lasting damage,” by Sela Breen, MindSite News
• “Rejecting shame to reclaim the power of the period,” by Veronika Perková, Yes! Magazine
• “Judge temporarily blocks Biden administration’s restoration of transgender health protections,” by Devina Bose, AP News
• “Restrictions on transgender health care slipped into Senate’s must-pass defense bill,” by Rebecca Kheel, Military.com
• “Medicaid efforts to address racial health disparities,” by Akash Pillai, Elizabeth Hinton, Robin Rudowitz and Samantha Artiga, KFF
• “Detroit’s legacy of housing inequity has caused long-term health impacts — these policies can help mitigate that harm,” by Roshanak Mehdipanah, Kate Brentley and Melika Belhaj, The Conversation