In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mr. Byron Sogie-Thomas, Deputy Director for Health Policy Research & Analysis at the Health Policy Research Consortium, and Dr. Edith Mitchell, Professor of Medical Oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and past President of the National Medical Association shared their knowledge about breast cancer.
In this episode we have a frank discussion about the causes breast cancer, the risk factors, who’s at risk, what we know about prevention, breast cancer in men, what the current research shows, how public policy can help reduce the burden of this disease, including how to pay for screenings and the ease of navigating the health care system if you or a family member has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and more.
Breast cancer strikes fear in the heart of women and far too many continue to die from this disease. This is especially true for African American women, who are more likely to die from breast cancer, even though they are diagnosed at the same rate as White and Hispanic women.
This episode was sponsored by the Health Policy Research Consortium, also known as HPRC. HPRC’s focus is public policy and their goal is to keep you informed about the many ways that public policy can affect your health. To learn more about HPRC’s research findings, blogs, events, and their Health Connect Prince George’s mobile app, please visit their website at www.hprc.info.
In many places around the country there is growing concern about the health effects of environmental hazards, from lead in the water, to nitrogen dioxide in the air. These hazardous toxins can turn our communities into death traps. And there is plenty of evidence that these dangers are not equally borne by all populations.
Byron Sogie-Thomas with Health Policy Research Consortium, also known as HPRC discusses the role of public policy in preventing or correcting environmental hazards and improving our health.
Kamita Gray and Al Weaver, leaders of the Brandywine Two Bridges Southern Region Neighborhood Coalition talk about how they are using community engagement to drive public policy in their fight with a very large environmental hazard; namely emissions from not one, but a third fossil-fuel power plant in their neighborhood in Maryland.
Neil Gormley with Earth Justice in Washington, DC talks about this entire issue of Environmental Justice and what we can do to protect our communities from these environmental hazards.
The Health Policy Research Consortium (HPRC) is partnering with Make the Change Radio Show for the remainder of 2016 to talk about public policy, how public policy can improve your health, and what you can do to drive public policy decisions in your community.
Byron Sogie-Thomas is HPRC’s Deputy Director for Health Policy Research & Analysis. Byron opens the show with a simple definition of public policy and shares HPRC’s mission, which is to make everyone aware of these policies, the connections they have on your health, and how you can take action on the policies that directly impact the communities where you live.
Some of the following policy topics and areas where you can have influence in your community were discussed during this episode. They include, but were not limited to:
How your home can make you sick
The importance of sprinkler systems in your home
Speed limits in your community
Zoning ordinances
Impact of toxic dump sites and landfills near your home
How disasters, accidents, and community involvement impact public policy
How to get involved and who to contact if you want to change a public policy in your community
Policies impacting your schools, classrooms and lunch programs
More…
HPRC has a mobile app called Health Connect Prince George’s that can help you find local resources, such as Farmers Markets, Parks & Hike Trails, Recreation Centers, and more. Download the app on Google Play and the iTunes App Store. Click below to listen to the commercial regarding this incredible app.
Be sure to visit HPRC’s website at www.hprc.info to read their public policy reports, newsletters, blogs, community events, social media pages, and more.