34 | www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com According to the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina, people most affected by these differences are “minorities, children living in poverty, people with different gender identity and sexual orientation, people facing major mental or physical disabilities and families living in underserved regions, primarily those living in rural communities.” Dr. Marvella Ford, associate director of population sciences and cancer disparities at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Hollings Cancer Center, sees the serious impact of these health disparities every day. “The COVID-19 pandemic brought more attention to the inequalities in how people receive care, given the disparities in COVID-19 death rates by race and ethnicity,” she explained. Dr. Ford has been studying the problem and identifying innovative solutions with colleagues throughout her career. She recognizes that disparities affect an entire community. “We all benefit when a community is healthy, leading to greater productivity and economic prosperity,” she said. HPV VACCINATION VAN PROGRAM Dr. Ford is an integral part of one initiative closing the gap in care – the HPV Vaccination Van program. Developed in 2021 by the Hollings Cancer Center and Department of Pediatrics at MUSC, the program was a reaction to the discovery of significantly lower rates of human papillomavirus vaccination in rural and medically underserved areas of South Carolina. HPV infections are linked to at least six different types of cancer. Health professionals travel to schools, health fairs and community events in a brand-new mobile health unit to provide education and administer vaccines, reaching people in the highest-need areas of the state who might otherwise not know about the benefits of or how to obtain a vaccination. LUNG CANCER SCREENING Dr. Ford also played a role in a study looking at lung cancer screening guidelines. Existing standards do not consider racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and sex-based differences in smoking behaviors or lung cancer risks that affect who is more likely to suffer with or die from the disease. The study identified strategies such as assigning patient navigators who help patients understand their treatment options and offering training to providers on communication techniques to build patient trust. INFANT MORTALITY Dr. Edward Simmer, the director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, sees disparities affecting almost all areas of health care but believes that infant mortality and chronic illness should be two priorities in the Palmetto State. According to the DHEC website, in South Carolina, Black women are significantly more likely to suffer adverse outcomes during pregnancy and childbirth, and their children are more likely to die in the first year of life, at a rate nearly 2.5 times that of white infants. According to Dr. Simmer, “Many of those deaths are preventable through education and greater access to care. So many lives would be saved if we do the right thing.” Factors outside of their control prevent many South Carolinians from achieving good health. This issue has been hitting the headlines recently as people realize that not everyone is on a level playing field when it comes to getting and staying healthy. Healthy People 2030, a federal initiative seeking ways to improve health, describes these differences as health disparities, which are closely linked to social, economic or environmental disadvantage.
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