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Education
BUSINESS HARLEM COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS 4 Ways to Uplift Small Businesses this Holiday Season
(Statepoint)
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With nearly half of all Americans employed by a small business, these establishments need our support more than ever this holiday season and going into 2021.
According to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, 46 percent of business owners surveyed have seen a drop in revenue over the past 12 months, with some entrepreneurs seeing even more severe impact.
Wells Fargo is sharing four ways to brighten the season for small businesses: 1. Shop local. While one-stop holiday shopping on leading e-commerce sites can be tempting, the simple act of purchasing something from your favorite local retailer can go a long way in keeping business afloat and money in your community. Returning or exchanging gifts? Ask for store credit instead of cash. It helps keep money with a small business and makes their cash flow more stable.
Many shops have safety measures in place, such as limiting occupancy or offering contactless pick-up. This year, some cities are even hosting virtual holiday markets, a great way to support local artisans, farmers and more while shopping for loved ones. Check your local chamber of commerce or neighborhood association for details. 2. Eat local. Support your neighbors by dining at locally-owned establishments. Getting takeout or having food delivered? Order directly from the restaurant rather than through third-party sites that take a cut. When it comes to food shopping, opt for neighborhood grocers, which often carry produce from small family-owned farms and other locally-sourced goods. Many offer the same curbside pickup and delivery options as major chains. 3. Uplift diverse-owned businesses. Keep in mind that minority- and women-owned businesses have been hard hit by COVID-19. Many are counting on your patronage right now to help them survive the holiday season and into the new year.
To help entrepreneurs stay open and support local jobs, Wells Fargo is deploying approximately $50 million from its Open for Business Fund to Community Development Financial Institutions across 32 states. The initiative focuses on increasing access to training and flexible capital that businesses can use for rent, utilities, payroll and other business needs. If you are a business owner looking for assistance and resources, visit wellsfargo.com/ shoplocal to learn more. 4. Shine a light on your favorite business. Whether it’s expanding outdoor patios and installing heat lamps or updating tech to facilitate contactless checkout, small businesses have had to get creative to stay relevant. One simple way of supporting businesses as they make these changes is to follow them on social media and give positive reviews on websites like Yelp.
As part of its “Many hearts. One community” campaign, Wells Fargo is highlighting the determination, resilience and creativity that so many small business have shown in 2020.
“Community has meant everything to me,” says Kadijatu Ahene, owner of Dija’s Touch Designs, which benefitted from Wells Fargo and Local Initiatives Support Corporation working together. “The challenges we’re dealing with have brought us closer. Whether its friends and neighbors checking on me and my girls, delivering food and more, COVID has reminded us that we need each other to move forward in unity.”
3 ways you can support the small businesses that make our city a unique place to live:
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Shop safely in person or online Buy a gift card Order delivery or curbside pickup
SHOP YOUR CITY
Find options to help you Shop Your City at nyc.gov/supportsmallbusinesses
EDUCATION Burdens of COVID Hit Hardest Among Marginalized Students
(Statepoint)
Students are the greatest hope for the future, but for many, their plans are threatened due to burdens posed by COVID-19. Here are just a few of the issues students and families face today, and steps being taken to address these concerns: • The digital divide: Recent images of two Latino children doing their online schoolwork in a Silicon Valley restaurant parking lot calls attention to the deepening digital divide in the COVID-19 era. Nationwide, 16.9 million lack the home internet access necessary to support online learning. A phenomenon known as the “homework gap,” this issue disproportionately impacts students of color. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, one out of three Black,
PHOTO SOURCE: (c) Drazen Zigic / iStock via Getty Images Plus
Latino, and Native American/ Alaska Native households doesn’t have access to a home internet connection and one in six doesn’t have access to a computer or device. • Housing insecurity: For students in the LGBTQ community, campus closures have sometimes meant the loss of in-school counseling and the support of like-minded, accepting peers. When “home” is an unwelcoming or even unsafe environment, students can be at a greater risk for depression, anxiety, abuse and homelessness. • Educational barriers: Distance learning creates new educational hurdles. With parents taking on an unprecedented instructional role, language barriers for non-English speaking parents can prove significant, like for Asian and Latino immigrants. What’s more, certain programming for students with disabilities, including speech and physical therapy, can be tough, if not impossible, to provide virtually. Lastly, certain learning disabilities can make virtual lessons especially difficult to follow. • Military family and school options: Continued access to quality education has always been a concern for military families, who often have no choice but to send their children to the nearest public school, whether it’s the right fit or not. Today, this problem has grown in severity, as the level and quality of remote instruction can vary wildly among school districts. • Lack of financial resources: Despite the economic disruption caused by the pandemic, colleges and universities are largely maintaining or increasing their tuition costs, leaving financially struggling students and families in a lurch.
Efforts to Help
In the face of today’s many unprecedented challenges, help is on the way. New emergency grants are being provided by organizations like UNCF, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, APIA Scholars, Point Foundation for LBGTQ youth, American Indian Graduate Center, Hispanic Scholarship Fund and Scholarship America for military veterans and people with disabilities. Career sites like Zippia offer annual scholarship lists for students such as this curated list for LBGTQ college students: zippia.com.
Additionally, organizations like Wells Fargo recently completed their new Wells Fargo Student Impact Scholarship in September 2020 to help students impacted by COVID-19. This initiative will provide 200 students with $5,000 each in funds, which could help them cover various costs for their instruction and potentially make the difference in being able to continue their education. Since 2010, Wells Fargo has provided more than $87.8 million across all higher education programs and sponsored events. For additional resources, visit the Beyond College Webinar Series for online training modules for students and recent graduates at collegesteps.wf.com.
While the hardships of the COVID-19 era can make it incredibly difficult to be academically successful or even continue school at all, new efforts are helping close the gap during this difficult time.
HARLEM COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
ASK DR. KEVIN: The Value of Caregiver Support While Navigating An ATTR-CM Journey
By Dr. Kevin Williams, Chief Medical Officer for Rare Disease at Pfizer
The “Ask Dr. Kevin” series caused by a mutation in a person’s is brought to you by Pfizer genes. Most wild-type patients are Rare Disease in collabora- White. Hereditary ATTR-CM is intion with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) to increase understanding of hereditary transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), and the risk it poses to African Americans.
Being diagnosed with a rare disease can be overwhelming, and it can be just as difficult if a loved one receives a diagnosis. In the case of ATTR-CM, a life-threatening, underdiagnosed disease that’s associated with heart failure, it’s important to take it one day at a time. [1],[2],[3] Learning more about the condition, how to manage it and where to find support are some of the best methods to navigate an ATTR-CM diagnosis.
There are two sub-types of ATTR-CM, wild-type and hereditary. Wild-type ATTR-CM is thought to be the most common form of ATTR-CM, is mostly associated with men over the age of 60 and is not (Statepoint) (PKD), causes numerous cysts to grow in the kidneys and for those affected by this condition, nearly 50% will experience End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) by age 60. According to the National Kidney Foundation, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) accounts for as many as 90% of all polycystic kidney disease cases.
Dr. Charlotte Jones-Burton of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. offers the following insights into the condition:
The most common inherited kidney disorder
ADPKD, the most common form of PKD, is a genetic kidney disease that leads to cyst formation and kidney herited from a relative and is a genetic mutation, affecting both men and women. In the United States, the most common genetic mutation associated with hereditary ATTR-CM, V122I, is found almost exclusively in people of African descent with a prevalence of roughly 3 percent, although people who have the mutation may never develop symptoms of the disease. Symptom onset can occur in people as early as their 50s or 60s.1,[4],[5]
While every ATTR-CM patient journey is unique, it helps to have a support system in place while navigating life with the disease. Having a caregiver to lean on for assistance can provide much needed peace of mind.
The Role of a Caregiver
A caregiver may play a critical role throughout every stage of the ATTR-CM journey – from helping to identify symptoms early on to diaggrowth. Additionally, ADPKD is the most common inherited renal disease/ kidney disorder and according to recent data, affects as many as 140,000 Americans. Overall, ADPKD is the fourth leading cause of ESRD. ADPKD is a progressive condition and may eventually lead to kidney failure requiring some form of renal replacement therapy, either dialysis or kidney transplant. While ADPKD is considered a rare disease and is relatively unknown to most people, it’s unfortunately all too common in families impacted by the condition. Children of parents with ADPKD have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. This is a sobering statistic, however, a critical first step for people with a family history of chronic kidney disease or ADPKD is to discuss the condition with relatives and a kidney care specialist as early as possible. However, not all cases nosis to daily management following a confirmed diagnosis. Whether it’s a spouse, partner, child, grandchild or trusted friend, an advocate who can provide physical and emotional support can be a significant benefit to a patient facing life with ATTR-CM.
In the case of hereditary ATTR-CM patients, most are assessed generally by a primary care physician (PCP) before being referred to a cardiologist for assessing unresolved specific symptoms related to the disease. For some, this can take a longer period of time and delay diagnosis. A caretaker or family member who is available to advocate on behalf of the patient and ask their PCP more questions about what they are experiencing may help speed up a referral.
When Randy, who is living with the hereditary form of ATTR-CM, was first diagnosed, his wife Priscilla was surprised because he had always been very healthy and active. She had many questions about how the condition might affect him and their life together, but it was Randy who opened of ADPKD are inherited, in approximately 5%‒10% of patients with ADPKD, no family history can be documented, suggesting spontaneous mutations.
How ADPKD is diagnosed
Typically, ADPKD is diagnosed by ultrasound, however, a computerized tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be conducted. Genetic testing may also be used for people with inconclusive imaging results, those with no family history of the condition, those who want to determine if they can pass the gene on to their children, and for diagnosis of possible kidney donors.
Using the latest technologies, physicians can now identify ADPKD patients at risk for rapid progression of kidney function decline as well as estimate how quickly someone with ADPKD is likely to progress based on up to Priscilla to talk about how he was feeling and the help he needed to manage his hereditary ATTR-CM. “My wife is my only caregiver. With my disease, I am not able to do much around the house, so I rely on her. She insists that I take medication on time, she keeps me on a routine.”
Caregiving is Not a “One-SizeFits-All” Approach
Caregivers play an important part in helping navigate the “new normal” of ATTR-CM, and their responsibilities can vary based on the unique needs of the person who is living with the condition. While some caregivers play a more supportive role, checking in and listening when a patient wants to talk about how they are feeling, others need to take a more hands-on approach and can help with maintaining medical records, managing treatment and accompanying the patient to doctor visits.
Many patients find bringing a caregiver to their doctor appointments is very helpful, as he or she can contribute during the visit by discussing symptoms, asking ques-
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the size of his or her kidneys. Although disease progression can be highly variable, even among family members, it’s important to confirm diagnosis early on, as patients with rapidly progressing ADPKD reach ESRD at a younger age.
Management strategies
Since ADPKD worsens with time, early diagnosis and treatment is tions, taking notes and communicating worries that the patient may have previously expressed to them.
Communicating with a Caregiver
A caregiver can help only as much as the patient will let them, which is why it’s essential to have an open and honest dialogue about how ATTR-CM symptoms affect daily activities and one’s physical and emotional well-being. By helping a caregiver understand what they’re going through, the patient can empower the caregiver to provide them with the best possible care.
This also includes communicating personal boundaries. Caregivers need to know when a patient needs help with certain activities and when they would prefer to be and have the ability to be more independent. Simcritical. While signs and symptoms of ADPKD often develop between the ages of 30 and 40, individuals with a history of kidney diseases – especially if they know ADPKD is in their family – shouldn’t delay speaking with a kidney specialist, also known as a nephrologist. By acting early, they’ll be able to take steps to help protect kidney ilarly, caregivers must carve out time to recharge and practice self-care, even when others may be depending on them. In both cases, communication is key to ensuring that the patient-caregiver relationship is one built on mutual trust and support.
If you’d like to learn more about hereditary ATTR-CM, including common signs and symptoms, visit www.YourHeartsMessage.com. *Dr. Kevin Williams is the chief medical officer for Rare Disease at Pfizer. He pursued medicine after being inspired by his father’s work as a general practitioner in his hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Kevin is passionate about raising awareness and increasing understanding of ATTR-CM in the African American community. You can fol-
Polycystic Kidney Disease: Is It Hiding in Your Genes?
Polycystic Kidney Disease
PHOTO SOURCE: (c) monkeybusinessimages / iStock
low Pfizer on Facebook and Twitter. function and properly manage the disease, as well as help avoid related complications such as high blood pressure, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, infected or bleeding cysts, abdominal bloating/discomfort and chronic pain.
Educational resources, such as www. PKDInfo.com, can help people have an informed conversation with a doctor about ADPKD. The website provides the latest information for understanding the disease and learning more about developing an effective management strategy, such as maintaining a healthy diet, staying physically active, getting enough sleep and aiming for a healthy weight to help keep kidneys healthy.
Concerned about ADPKD? Use trusted resources to get the facts or schedule an appointment with your doctor to learn more about your risk factors and management strategies.
