Health

Healthcare dominates this year's midterms as Obamacare subsidies expire, Medicaid faces cuts, and premiums rise, hitting Black Americans especially hard. Word In Black examines the healthcare platforms of history-making Black candidates—including Keisha Lance Bottoms, Scott Colom, Angie Nixon, David Crowley, and others—running for Congress, Senate, and governor across multiple states this election cycle.

It’s an unfamiliar name that comes up in alerts from state medical examiners, local law enforcement and college campuses: cychlorphine. A drug more potent than fentanyl.

Xavier University of Louisiana's new Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine has received preliminary LCME approval, becoming the nation's fifth HBCU medical school and the only one in the Gulf South. Set to enroll its first class of 50 students in 2027, the school aims to address physician shortages and expand diversity in medicine.

As daylight shortens, sleep deprivation remains a growing U.S. health crisis, disproportionately affecting Black adults. Dr. Pamela Buchanan shares seven science-backed strategies to improve sleep quality plus targeted advice for night-shift workers and women navigating menopause-related sleep disruption.

Millions of senior citizens and other enrollees will have to find new Medicare Advantage plans because their policies are being terminated, while others could have to pay more for their coverage and care.

Medications like pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, can nearly eliminate the risk of acquiring HIV. But only a fraction of Black Americans use it.

As midterms approach, Black voters face deep anxiety over democracy, civil rights, and election integrity, with surveys showing widespread distrust in fair outcomes. Psychologists Dr. Wendi Williams and Dr. Calvin Fitch explore this "disempowerment stress," linking it to systemic devaluation of Black women and offering coping strategies rooted in community, rest, and meaningful action.

Nine years after MeToo, an alleged gang rape at a Cornell fraternity has reignited debate over rape culture and whether real change has occurred. Experts and activists like Tarana Burke examine the history of sexual violence awareness, Title IX's evolution, and how backlash and persistent harm reveal both progress and ongoing challenges in addressing sexual assault.

Dr. Olivia Ware, a Kirkland native who struggled to find Black dermatologists growing up, now practices at Harborview Medical Center, offering culturally informed care. Trained at Howard University and UCSF, she focuses on conditions affecting Black patients, including HS and scarring alopecia, while working to expand dermatological access in South King County communities.

Millions of new cancer cases around the world may be caused by infections that are either treatable or preventable, suggesting that the cancer could have been avoided altogether.