Former U.S. surgeon general shares concerns about health disparities
ANDERSON — Former United States Surgeon General Jerome Adams is concerned about the nation's health, particularly in marginalized communities.
Adams expressed those some of those concerns Friday during a luncheon sponsored by the Minority Health Coalition of Madison County. He also offered his vision for forging a better way forward when it comes to providing health care services in those areas.
'We're the only rich developed nation on the planet that hasn't figured out how to deliver universal access to health care,' he said. 'One of the things I'm incredibly proud of is that when I was health commissioner of Indiana, we helped expand the Healthy Indiana Plan.
'I'm very worried that that is being reversed right now,' he continued.
Adams was appointed the state's health commissioner in 2014 by then-Gov. Mike Pence, and was re-appointed in 2017 by Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Adams now serves as executive director of health equity initiatives at Purdue University. He said he aspires to change the way agencies view health care.
'What happens in a hospital or doctor's office is only about 20% of what determines whether or not you're going to be healthy,' he said.
'The other 80% involves things that happen in your community — things like transportation, child care, access to healthy foods, safe spaces to exercise.'
Not considering social factors, he said, will result in stagnant health outcomes.
He shared a story about his 15-year-old daughter, who like many teenagers, he said, spends a lot of time on her phone. So, he sends her outside for fresh air.
'If you five miles south of where I live, Pendleton Pike, they don't have complete streets,' Adams said. 'There's gangs, she might be accosted. So, a dad tells his 15-year-old daughter to go outside, that's not a good dad. That's criminal child neglect.'
He encouraged local agencies, including philanthropic organizations and business groups, to take steps to fill in those gaps.
'We want to make the healthy choice, the easier choice,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
9 hours ago
- New York Times
Carrying My New Husband Across the Threshold
It seemed a romantic beginning, carrying my new husband across the threshold of our apartment for the first time since getting married. In reality, paramedics carried Harry, his frail frame strapped into an emergency chair. I trailed behind them on four flights of our walk-up, holding his oxygen tank, its plastic tubing connecting us that April afternoon. It would be among the last times I saw my husband alive. In the space of a month, I was engaged, married and widowed to Harry, who had been my friend and roommate for nearly 25 years. Just as surreal, our wedding took place at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx the day before, on Easter Sunday 2022. Harry, whose birth name was Wing-Ho Chow, my reluctant husband who wanted to keep our marriage secret, had just exercised spousal privilege, releasing himself into my care despite knowing I was flying back that day to Purdue University where I was teaching and pursuing a Ph.D. The months before his death were exhausting as I traveled every few days between Indiana and New York. Hospital weddings may be a common trope in movies and TV, but they are exceedingly rare. Only one nurse on Harry's floor could recall witnessing one. Such is their rarity that the head nurse told me that the hospital wanted to issue a news release about our nuptials, something Harry adamantly refused. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Marineland remains closed in Niagara Falls, Ont., says it hasn't decided if it will open this year
With the busy summer tourist season in Niagara Falls, Ont., weeks away, Marineland says it still hasn't decided if it will open this year. The beleaguered aquarium told CBC Hamilton in an email Tuesday "no final decision has been made." "As Marineland has repeatedly publicly stated, we continue to be actively engaged in a sale process and transition to new ownership," said the statement from the marketing department. "The long-term health and welfare of the animals remains Marineland's priority in the transition process." As of Tuesday, its main phone number wasn't working, its Facebook page was taken down and its website made no mention of its reopening date. This time last year, its reopening date of June 28 was already posted to its website, according to internet park has traditionally closed for the fall and winter, and reopened in the spring, but in recent years scaled back operations, said Janet Adams, an employment co-ordinator at the Niagara Employment Help Centre. At its height, Marineland would hire 500 to 700 seasonal employees, she said. But last year it hired only a few janitors and cashiers, and called back employees from the year before, Adams said. This year, they haven't posted any summer positions at all, impacting students looking for work, she said. 18 beluga whale deaths since 2019 Ontario's Animal Welfare Services has been investigating Marineland for five years, visiting the park more than 200 times since 2020. Eighteen beluga whales, one killer whale and one dolphin have died at Marineland since late 2019 — including one beluga earlier this year. The province declared in 2021 that all marine mammals at the park were in distress due to poor water, but told The Canadian Press last year the water issue had been brought up to standard. In 2024, Marineland was found guilty under Ontario's animal cruelty laws over its care of three young black bears. The bears lived in an enclosure that measured 48 square feet and their outside area was 360 square feet, and lacked water and climbing structures, a provincial court heard. However, the bears needed to be in an enclosure at least 10,000 square feet, animal welfare inspectors determined. Lobbyist working on animal export permits Last month, Marineland sold one of its properties that included an office building to a numbered corporation for over $2.7 million, according to land records. It's down the road from the sprawling main park. Earlier this year, it got permission from the City of Niagara Falls to sever the large park into four parcels to take out mortgages. Tom Richardson, a lawyer who represents Marineland, said at a public meeting in February that it needs the money to continue funding park operations and eventually move its animals, including more than two dozen beluga whales, as well as bears and deer. "It's to address the elephant in the room, and that is the moving of the whales and other creatures," he said. After the animals are moved, the park will merge the parcels back together, rather than sell them off individually, said Richardson. In March, a consultant for Marineland, Andrew Burns, registered as a lobbyist to "communicate with government officials" about obtaining permits to trade endangered species internationally and export cetaceans, a classification of aquatic mammals that includes whales and dolphins. Burns didn't respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
From the slopes to super computers, cerebral palsy doesn't stop UNM student
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – From the slopes to supercomputers. One University of New Mexico student with cerebral palsy is a star athlete and student. Mike Adams was 11 years old when he joined the Adaptive Sports Program (ASPNM). 'I first started with a ski instructor named Brett,' said Adams. 'I've heard many times people will stop us on the slopes and go, like, holy crap, that's awesome,' said Adams. Story continues below News: The National Guard Is Deploying In Albuquerque New Mexico Strange: A dive into the Painted Lady's violent past, haunted present Trending: Albuquerque community helps band recover stolen trailer Crime: APS teacher arrested after accusations of sexual relationships with students Adams has cerebral palsy, but he isn't afraid to push the boundaries. 'Most sit-down skiers that are tethered and can't use handheld outriggers, which are skis that attach to the end of your arms and flip up and turn into ski poles, most of those athletes are going to use what we call fixed outriggers,' said Bruce Hopper, Volunteer for ASPNM. But Adams isn't like most athletes. He loves the thrill of skiing without the fixed outriggers. 'He's allowed to ski more independently and tip the ski over into the turn much more aggressively,' said Adams. 'It's just having all of us feel excitement when that happens,' said Adams. This year, ASPNM awarded Adams the 2025 Athlete of the Year. He also shines in the classroom. Adams just finished the second year of his Ph.D. program in computer science. 'I always liked computers since I was young because I cannot write, so I use the computer to communicate. And that is crucial in our lives,' said Adams. And just like on the slopes, Adams has come up with his own way to ace exams. Since 2019, Adams has been working with a UNM accommodations specialist, who helped him as a scribe during tests. Adams created his own symbols sheet as he moved through higher levels of math, so now others can use it in the future. 'The symbol sheet is helpful for the person who is scribing just because of the complexity of the problems,' said Carol Bartlett, Accommodations Specialist with the Accessibility Resource Center at UNM. Those who've worked with Adam say there's no one like him. 'I have no doubt that Mike is going to invent something incredible in the world,' said Bartlett. For more information about ASPNM, click this link. To watch a special documentary directed and produced by Alexandra Henry in partnership with ASPNM, click this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
