skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump may restore Ukraine aid pending confidence-building measures, White House says; Cuts to Medicaid considered to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts; Iowans react to nation's first law removing gender identity protections; EBT skimming scandal: no reimbursement for Ohioans who lose SNAP benefits.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Democrats sue to prevent Trump's takeover of the Federal Elections Commission, a privatized postal service could make mail-in voting more difficult, and states move ahead with their own versions of the Equal Rights Amendment.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Activists work to protect immigrant communities as the reach of ICE expands, experts urge lawmakers to ramp-up elder abuse protections in rural America and a multi-state arts initiative crafts ways to close the urban-rural divide.

CT Needs to Address Health, Cancer Care Inequities

play audio
Play

Tuesday, May 9, 2023   

As Connecticut addresses health equity, additional work needs to be done, experts warn. From 2016 to 2022, one third of the state's residents did not visit a primary care physician, according to data from Connecticut Health Policy. This is part of a trend throughout the U.S. to address disparities in medical care. A recent study finds cancer care can be subject to similar inequities.

Angela Starkweather, a co-author of the study, said inequities in care stem from the country's long history of racism and discrimination, through policies and structural barriers.

"That trickles down from education of healthcare providers to a lot of the policies that we use in our society for funding these type of things; not allowing people to have time off to get screening tests and things like that," she said.

In Connecticut, some factors of cancer care inequity are the lack of transportation to medical facilities and lack of health insurance. She noted one solution is the National Cancer Institute's Equity and Inclusion Program, and added the program aims to help cancer centers keep their care equitable through a slew of initiatives like community engagement and outreach.

On a state and federal level, Starkweather said increased public funding is one way to make cancer care more equitable. Along with reducing disparities, she added this funding can increase accessibility of cancer care across all areas.

"Investment in our cancer centers and being able to provide those types of services such as patient navigation, free services, expanding some of the hours for our screening services, things like that, " she explained.

Starkweather added helping people working throughout the week to have alternative options for getting a cancer screening could prove beneficial. In 2022, the U-S Department of Health and Human Services made $5 million dollars in grants available to community health centers to improve equity in cancer care screenings.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The Alabama Department of Labor reported the state's labor force participation rate rose to 57.7% in December. (Lane Erickson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A bill moving through the Alabama Legislature could change how people who are unemployed can qualify for benefits. House Bill 29, sponsored by Rep…


Social Issues

play sound

As the Trump administration's deportation efforts continue, more people find themselves in immigration court. Immigration law is complicated…

Environment

play sound

Environmental groups are voicing concerns about plans to build the nation's first small modular reactors at the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert Town…


In 2023, about $4.2 million in settlement funds were disbursed to U.S. communities affected by discrimination, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Since the Fair Housing Act was established in 1968 to make discrimination in housing illegal, nonprofits around the country have helped investigate …

Social Issues

play sound

A South Dakota Senate committee considers several bills today to overhaul rules for getting citizen-led measures on the ballot. The proposals are …

Protesters in California and across the nation came together for a day of action on Tuesday to underscore the importance of making higher education more accessible and affordable. (Matt Hardy/California Federation of Teachers)

Social Issues

play sound

Several hundred protesters marched to the Capitol building in Sacramento on Tuesday, calling for better funding for education. The event was part of …

Social Issues

play sound

Concerned parents are pushing the authorities to help parks and day cares remove sand from sandboxes contaminated with ash after the Los Angeles fires…

Social Issues

play sound

Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a measure that removes gender identity protections for LGBTQ+ people from Iowa's civil rights code. Opponents call it …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021