Monitor on Psychology - October 2011 - (Page 37)

Racial segregation continues to strand racial and ethnic minorities in neighborhoods that lack health resources. Photos.com Looking at direct medical costs combined with the indirect costs of lost wages, diminished productivity and lost revenue caused by sickness and early death, Smedley estimated the drag on the economy at $1.24 trillion between 2003 and 2006. “It’s very expensive to do nothing to solve health inequalities,” he said. One study in Chicago found that 60 percent of all AfricanAmerican children, regardless of family income, lived in neighborhoods where 30 percent or more of inhabitants were in poverty. By contrast, 75 percent of white children from poor families lived in neighborhoods with poverty concentrations below 10 percent, Smedley said. Other participants at the convention session also pointed out that: • Health disparities research is becoming better coordinated. This was according to Joyce Hunter, PhD, deputy director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Her institute is finalizing a five-year strategic plan to coordinate minority health disparities research across the 27 centers and institutes of the National Institutes of Health. The institute also funds a loan repayment program for health professionals conducting health disparities research, and has a research endowment for institutions with a significant OCTOBER 2011 • MONITOR ON PSYCHOLOGY enrollment of students from underrepresented minorities and disadvantaged backgrounds. • Research funds are available. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed ito law in March 2010 significantly increased funding for patient-centered outcomes research, said Garth Graham, MD, deputy assistant secretary for minority health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That research focuses on determining which interventions work best for people with more than one health condition, in real-world settings, he said. Yet when Graham reviewed the initial applications for the first round of funding, he noticed that applications for behavioral health and psychology research were not well-represented. “This is a particularly good arena to get into because we’re building it from the ground up,” he said. • Nonetheless, rates of health-care access disparities have not yet improved. In looking at the indicators measured by national surveys of disparity in quality of care for AfricanAmericans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans, two-thirds have shown no improvement since 2003, said Larke Huang, PhD, a community clinical psychologist with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. n 37 http://photos.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - October 2011

Monitor on Psychology - October 2011
President’s Column
Subtle and stunning slights
Contents
From the CEO
Live science on the showroom floor
Zimbardo re-examines his landmark study
Ready, set, mentor
Attention students and ECPs: Self-care is an ‘ethical imperative’
Suicide risk is high among war veterans in college, study finds
Psychotherapy is effective and here’s why
From toilet to tap: getting people to drink recycled water
What’s ahead for psychology practice?
A push for more accountability is changing the accreditation process
Peer, parental support prove key to fighting childhood obesity
Popular media’s message to girls
Bullying may contribute to lower test scores
A consequence of cuckoldry: More (and better) sex?
Manatees’ exquisite sense of touch may lead them into dangerous waters
Building a better tomato
How will China’s only children care for their aging parents?
‘Spice’ and ‘K2’: New drugs of abuse now on the market
Many suspects don’t understand their right to remain silent
In Brief
Boosting minority achievement
Where’s the progress?
And social justice for all
Helping new Americans find their way
Segregation’s ongoing legacy
A new way to combat prejudice
Retraining the biased brain
Suppressing the ‘white bears’
How to eat better — mindlessly
Protect your aging brain
Must babies always breed marital discontent?
Outing addiction
Flourish 2051
The danger of stimulants
Keys to making integrated care work
Is technology ruining our kids?
Facebook: Friend or foe?
The promise of Web 3.0
NIMH invests in IT enhanced interventions
Science Directions
Science Directions
PsycAdvocates work to safeguard key programs
The psychology of spending cuts
APA’s strategic plan goes live
Visionary leaders
Bravo!
Vote on bylaws amendments

Monitor on Psychology - October 2011