By V.S. Santoni According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 37 million Americans have diabetes, with approximately 90-95 percent of them having type 2 diabetes. In Tennessee, 13.7 percent of residents have received a diabetes diagnosis. The National Institute for Health (NIH) reports that the age-standardized diabetes prevalence is highest in Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. Numerous studies have consistently shown that diabetes prevalence rates are significantly higher in the southern United States compared to other regions. Across the country, ethnic and racial minorities have notably higher rates of diabetes than their white counterparts,…
Author: V.S. Santoni
By V.S. Santoni Predicting outcomes of health has long been an important part of medicine. Debates have long centered around the usefulness of race as a variable in those models. In a new study, Atheendar Venkataramani, a Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute; Northwestern University economist Charles Manski; and University of Wisconsin economist John Mullahy look at race and clinical prediction models. Some of the important outcomes of the research show that race as a measure continues to hold usefulness in outcomes across all races. In the study, Venkatarmani et al. do note that if better…
By V.S. Santoni In Fall 2022, Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy found that nearly 40 percent of Nashville families faced food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” With the closing of small food pantries in Nashville, and with the Little Pantry that Could being a recent victim, food insecurity will only continue to rise. Jada Hoerr, Chief Resource Officer of Midwest Food Bank talked with The Tennessee Tribune about their expansion into Middle Tennessee. According to Hoerr they…
By V.S. Santoni Pregnancy Justice released their report on the Criminalization of Pregnant People. Lourdes Rivera, President of Pregnancy Justice joined the organization in 2023 because she wanted to “dismantle the harmful and punitive systems and practices that criminalize people based on gender, race, and class.” She additionally noted that the purpose of Pregnancy Justice is to “to ensure that no one loses their rights because of pregnancy or because of their capacity for pregnancy.” The last report was completed in 2006, and Rivera notes that in the 16.5 years they’ve found “nearly 1,400 cases of criminalization of pregnant people.…
By V.S. Santoni Building strength in marginalized communities is the work that The Equity Alliance sets out to do every day. With alliances in Memphis, Chattanooga, and multiple locations in Middle Tennessee, Jess Williams (Director of Development and Marketing) of the Equity Alliance says “Our mission is to unapologetically build independent Black political and economic power. But the way that we do that is unique. Those who are most impacted by the issues are the ones who have the best solutions to those issues. So, we take a relational approach to our work. Black voters don’t want to be treated…
By V.S. Santoni A scenario most of us hope to never experience; child, critically ill, and the inability to findresources when we need them the most. There With Care hopes to fill in when families are at their most vulnerable. Founded by Paula DuPré Pesmen 18 years ago, she hoped that the organization would “provide essential support to families with a child facing critical illness. To ease their burdens, we provide food security, housing stability, transportation to treatments, and family essentials.” Pesmen and There With Care partner with area hospitals to identify families in the Nashville area. Pesmen notes that…
By V.S. Santoni Alvin Woods, creator of HBCU White House celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities and underrepresented communities, brings season three to streaming in Fall 2023. Alvin Woods, born to teen parents in Louisiana, struggled as a child and teenager with abandonment, depression and suicidal thoughts. According to Woods, “he now advocates for an open dialogue about suicide prevention and mental health awareness for Black boys and Black men across America.” According to Woods “A study found that Black children between the ages of five and 12 are about twice as likely to die by suicide as white children…
By V.S. Santoni NASHVILLE, TN —Nashville Pride has historically occurred to coincide with the Stonewall Riots in the month of June, but Nashville Black Pride will hold its annual events in October, a month that lines up with National Coming Out Day, October 10th. Many southern states have held their Pride Month events in the fall, as the temperature in places like Mississippi has historically been oppressive in the summer months. According to Nashville Black Pride, their mission “is to bring together African American and other Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT)/Same Gender Loving (SGL) People of Color in a social,…
By V.S. Santoni NASHVILLE, TN — Founded in 1978, The Melting Pot has been a popular restaurant in many communities for anniversaries, proms, and other big gatherings. Bob Johnston, former President and COO of The Melting Pot and now owner of Front Burner, looks to continue expanding the franchise throughout the country. Currently, the franchise operates more than 105 restaurants in the US, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2022, The Melting Pot saw a 16 percent increase in sales in remodeled stores. The restaurant has been remodeling many locations that are expected to finish by…
By V.S. Santoni NASHVILLE, TN — The Urban League sponsored a town hall with Judge Sheila Calloway and juvenile court clerk Lonnell Matthews on May 15. They presented their new plan for a Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment. Calloway said the previous facility was too small to house all the services they needed; furthermore, she said the area where they housed children resembled a prison. The new facility will be located off Brick Church Pike and is a massive 14-acre upgrade. Funded entirely through Metro Davidson County, Calloway said the building will not only house court rooms dedicated to serving…