Health

Never too Early; Never too Late

Breast cancer screening is an important part of a woman’s health, a message experts are pushing in October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Learn about programs in the Syracuse area that provide the resources to support you or a loved one. By Sarah Merke Janet Bacon, on a whim, decided to go for a mammogram after a community health worker from …

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 A Community Confronts Lead

The Sankofa Doula Collective is striving to improve prenatal and postpartum care through lead awareness in Syracuse. By Sarah Merke After eight months of developing proposals and presenting them to the community, the day had come. On a sunny spring day, Syracuse residents gathered to vote and select the proposal that best served the city’s dire need to tackle lead …

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Doulas Empower Black Mothers, Fight Maternal Mortality

SeQuoia Kemp at a postpartum home visit. Photo by Martha Swann Photography

By Sarah Merke By the second grade, SeQuoia Kemp knew she wanted to be a nurse. By middle school, she was writing papers on reproductive health issues such as abortions and miscarriages. As a teenager, she witnessed a Black midwife help a childhood friend give birth. Kemp’s calling was clear: She would devote her life to helping pregnant women and …

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Protesting Deceptive ‘Clinics’

Pro-choice activists gathered Saturday to protest groups they say rob women of their free choice by spreading misinformation on abortion and other issues.

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Monitoring blood pressure at home can be tricky. Here’s how to do it right.

By Michael Merschel, American Heart Association News Knowing your blood pressure is a basic part of good health. After all, high blood pressure increases your risk for heart disease and stroke. Black Americans are also more likely to have high blood pressure, making it all the more important that they take action. Doctors recommend that adults regularly check their blood-pressure …

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Children Before Fish

Dozens protest the decision to invest in an aquarium while so many in Syracuse live in poverty By April Santana South Side resident Ida Stewart knows how she would spend the county’s $85 million surplus: Health care for seniors and children, food security, housing, and on the fight against lead poisoning, for starters. Not on her list? An aquarium for …

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Number of Syphilis Cases Increases Significantly

It is important to know the signs of syphilis, how it’s diagnosed and how it’s treated Between the years 2008 and 2014, the number of syphilis cases in Onondaga County has increased more than 1,800 percent. Dr. Indu Gupta, the Onondaga County Health Commissioner, and other health officials reported on the implications of the rise in syphilis cases at a …

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She Matters

Finding ways to help women detect breast cancer, then get through it Valerie Taylor was lying down relaxing in her home when she felt an itch in her right breast. When she touched it, she discovered a lump that felt like the shape of an egg. She called her doctor right away. “I was more scared than anything because I …

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Getting Prepared

With winter upon us, the United Way shares tips on how to plan ahead Members of The Stand’s Board of Directors recently attended information sessions to help them understand what they can do to be prepared in the event of an emergency, specifically a natural disaster. Natural disasters often result in the disruption of everyday life and include inaccessibility to …

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

When was your last mammogram? Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer detected among women in the United States. African-American females experience higher death rates from breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group.

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