A new study from the University of Michigan shows that Black stroke patients arrive at the hospital significantly later than their white counterparts.

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Published Sept. 5 in collaboration with Brown University, the research included data from more than 600,000 patients in the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines Stroke Registry from mid-2015 through 2019.

The study revealed that it took on average 28 minutes longer for Black patients with stroke symptoms to receive emergency care. Researchers also found that EMS workers were roughly 20% less likely to notify emergency departments ahead of a Black patient’s arrival compared to a white patient.

The disparity was most prevalent in areas with a high poverty rate. 

Regina Royan, one of the lead researchers on the study, says getting a stroke patient to the hospital quickly is crucial for positive health outcomes. 

“The therapies that we have for stroke are really effective, but they are only available within a short time frame from the time that symptoms start,” Royan said.

Royan says there has been significant effort to making health care inside hospitals equitable, and it’s time to bring those efforts outside the hospital as well.  

“This is a disparity that must be addressed, as Black Americans have a higher prevalence of stroke, get strokes younger and die at greater numbers from the condition,” said Royan in a news release.

Other headlines for Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024:

•  Michigan Attorney Dana Nessel announced charges this week against 11 people stemming from pro-Palestinian protests on the University of Michigan’s campus in May.
• Detroit Police Chief James White confirmed to BridgeDetroit on Wednesday that he is one of eight finalists in the running for CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network.
• The American Arab Chamber of Commerce is hosting its “East & West Mezza Fest,” a culinary tour of Dearborn, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

A recent study from three children’s hospitals has found that patient information relating to racial and ethnic designations is significantly inaccurate.

Mott Children’s, Helen DeVos, and the Children’s Hospital of Michigan participated in a study led by University of Michigan’s Dr. Gary Freed to identify and address racial and ethnic inequities in health care.

Dr. Freed found that between 22 and 59% of electronic medical records have inaccurate information about race and ethnicity. He says these errors may have impacted certain populations being either over or underrepresented health care.

“If we’re not accurately describing certain populations, any analyses that we’re doing about those populations may be wrong,” Freed said.

Dr. Freed hopes that his pioneering work with this study encourages other health care systems to conduct their own studies to identify and address disparities in their racial/ethnic patient records.

WEMU is a member of the Michigan Public Radio Network serving Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. To read more from WEMU, visit wemu.org. 

More than a year after state lawmakers eliminated the five-year waiting requirement for certain immigrants to qualify for Medicaid, the state is now opening coverage for immigrants who are under the age of 21 and pregnant.

The Michigan Legislature allocated $6.4 million from the 2023-2024 general fund to get rid of the five year eligibility waiting period for legal residents joining dozens of other states across the country in providing the benefits.

States have had the option to waive the five-year waiting period since 2009 through the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act.

“There might be people who have maybe previously thought they weren’t eligible for benefits, it might be a good time to go and see if they’re able to sign up, and their local offices should be able to get them signed up if they’re lawfully residing,” said Elinor Jordan, supervising attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the coverage extends to lawfully residing children and pregnant women, including green card holders, immigrant survivors of battery or extreme cruelty and their family members, as well as those with temporary protected status.

Public policy experts estimate the expansion could benefit nearly 10,000 people statewide.

“This policy change would bring Michigan closer to covering all children—and providing affordable, quality care to thousands more children in our state—while aligning our state law with that of most other states,” stated Simon Marshall-Shah, policy analyst at the Michigan League for Public Policy, in a 2021 analysis of the policy.

The change also includes postpartum coverage for up to a year for qualifying recipients. Before the expansion, legally residing pregnant individuals were eligible for Medicaid coverage for emergency services, including some prenatal and postnatal care.

Jordan says the move makes coverage much more comprehensive while also preventing medical debt for some people.

“We often work with clients, who are lawful residents and are contributing so much but have this crushing medical debt,” she said. “It can really take away from their productivity and their ability to full engage in their communities.”

Eligible Medicaid recipients can apply for the program directly on the state’s health department website.