Black American Moguls Magazine Winter 2018

Understanding Obamacare Pros & Cons

• It made essential for all insurance plans to cover 10 of the most essential health care problems, thus decreasing the emergency room visits.

• Insurance companies could not refuse insurance cover to anyone, based on pre-existing health problems. Nor could the insurance companies charge premiums based on the health history of the patients.

• There were no upper limits to the benefits, meaning that unlike earlier days they could not refuse to pay if the healthcare bill exceeded one million USD.

• Adding children to parents’ healthcare plan for up to 26 years of age, thus extending the benefits for millions more.

• The middle class (netting up to 400% of the poverty level) receive tax breaks on their dividends. It expands Medicaid to 138% of the central poverty level.

• It was intended to remove the Medicare “doughnut hole” deficit in coverage by 2020.

• Companies with 50 or moreworkers need to provide health insurance, and received the tax benefits for covering these costs.

• It was expected to bring down the budget deficit by 143 billion USD. It was expected to reduce health care costs by government.

DOWNSIDES

• Around five million US citizens lost their health insurance paid by employers. They found it easier to pay the penalty and buy insurance plans through the state-run exchanges.

Nowadays there is lots of disinformation about Obamacare, with most of it being rather negative. It was an act that did not have the President’s true desires in the first place. But an act that contained quite a bit of Democratic compromise to help move it victoriously through Congress. Even at the time of its approval a great number of Americans disapproved it for one reason or another. This has led to its eventual repeal and replacement under the current administration.

So, to understand Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act better, we have created a balanced list of its pros and cons.

Upsides

• It was meant to slow down the upsurge in health care costs, thus providing insurance to far more people.

• It provided free preventive care, meaning much more sought help for earlier neglected conditions.

• Around 10% of the US population relied on the private insurance plans. Private companies had to cancel many of these plans as they did not cover the ten essential benefits made necessary by Obamacare. Worst of all, many did not need some of the essential benefits provided by Obamacare, like maternity care.

• Free preventive care raised the healthcare cost in the short term, as many people who earlier did not go to the doctor decided to take advantage of this benefit.

• Four million people chose to pay the tax instead of paying for coverage.

• Obamacare resulted in the increased income tax for many. One million citizens have to pay tax on income above $200,000.

• 2020 onwards insurance company would have to pay 40% excise tax on the so-called “Cadillac” insurance plans. That is plans with an annual premium of $10,200 or above for individuals, and $27,500 USD or above for families. Many of these people were at higher risk of health problems like elderly individuals or people involved in dangerous jobs.

Dr. Ben Carson

Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act has more benefits than not. However, fixing the holes that are the cons need to be our focus, not repeal of the entire system. Fixing the holes or the problems would ensure all Americans fair and equal access to a necessary human right in a civilized world. Insurance companies do not favor any system which will cause them to no longer profit off the backs of the American people. And political pundits can play with your health because their families already benefit from better healthcare via the same government and by way of taxpayers’ expense. Those members of Congress who oppose Obamacare are not handing over their government sponsored healthcare. So, why are they so busy urging you to do so? Healthcare is one of the biggest swamps that needs draining in America…. Yet President Trump is helping them make gains. WHY? Because he too is supported by big PHARMA and the Healthcare establishment.

Dr. Ben Carson, former conservative Presidential Candidate, neurosurgeon, and former Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital says…

The entire concept of for profits for the insurance companies makes absolutely no sense. “ I deny that you need care and I will make more money.” This is totally ridiculous. The first thing we need to do is get rid of for profit insurance companies. -Dr.

Ben Carson

We could not agree more with Dr.Carson’s assessment of our healthcare system. It no longer serves the American people. When you are critical of these establishment run conglomerates, the fake news media does a propaganda campaign to make

you appear to be a socialist or communist or somehow antiAmerican. It’s disgraceful that Dr. Ben Carson has not been asked to lead and advise on this matter as this is his life’s work. He is an authority unlike any other President Trump could have consulted. Yet, his strong views opposing the titans in the healthcare industry is probably why he was selected to be appointed Secretary of HUD as opposed to Surgeon General. Imagine a renowned medical doctor with Dr. Carson’s credentials and strong opposing viewpoints leading the country’s healthcare direction. The system is broken and the President is clearly becoming more of the problem than anyone could have imagined he would be. Trump ran on draining the swamps, but seems to be throwing our children into the swamp. Midterm elections is all we will say. Never forget! And hold their feet to the fire. The only “special interest” any politician should have is the interest of the American people; the upholding of free markets when it comes to business and commerce, and protecting the rights and liberties of citizens. Some systems that are holding our nation hostage such as healthcare and others, need to be abolished. Profiteering in medicine and healthcare is categorically unconstitutional. And healthcare should never be a part of our free enterprise system, this is immoral in the first place. The Founding Fathers would be rolling in their graves including those Black Founding Fathers who have nearly been erased from the history books of this country.

Swan Simpson is an Author, Speaker, Damn Good Success Coach, Radio Host and has been named one of Who’s Who in Black Atlanta. She is the publisher of Black American Moguls Magazine and the Black Moguls Brand of digital magazines.

MEDICINE:

The Most Ancient Alternative to Conventional Medicine

Ayurvedic Medicine was developed more than 3,000 years ago according to some estimates, whereas some accounts trace it back up to another 2,000 years. It is even considered to be perhaps the most ancient holistic healing system the world still knows of. Its origins are attributed to the Eastern belief system that was adhered to in India, along with a few other Eastern Asian nations. It is somewhat difficult to determine an accurate time in history to which we can trace Ayurvedic medicine due to the fact that its practices predate any written records. The first and main collection of texts on Ayurvedic medicine date back two millennia, and it comprises three books written in Sanskrit: Caraka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Astanga Hridaya. That is why it came to be known as the Great Trilogy.

What exactly is Ayurvedic medicine?

The word Ayurvedic is derived from the term “Ayurveda,” which roughly translates from Sanskrit to mean “the science of life.” That is by combining the words Ayur (life) and Veda (science). This medical framework is based upon a spiritual view of humans, for Ayurvedic practitioners attempt to provide treatment through helping their patients reach a state of correspondence with the people in their environment, their health and physique, and even with the universe.

Ayurvedic treatment methods are based on the premise that the human body and mind are constituted by five core elements that similarly constitute the universe as a whole, implying a state of oneness between us as humans and every part and level of

our surroundings. These elements are space, fire, water, earth, and air. These elements come together to form the three “life forces” that drive the human body and spirit. Let’s look at a brief clarification of these three life forces, or doshas as they are called in Ayurvedic jargon.

Vata Dosha

It is commonly thought by Ayurveda practitioners that the Vata is the most powerful of the trio. It is the dosha in control of some of the most basic and essential bodily functions, like, for example, cell division, respiration, blood circulation, and the release of intestinal waste. Most importantly, though, the Vata is in control of how the human mind works. The dominance of this force over a person’s system brings upon them undesirable conditions related to the functions for which it is responsible in the first place. These conditions include asthma, heart difficulties, arthritis, anxiety, and skin diseases since they usually have sensitive skin.

The predominance of that dosha is not all negative, though. When in proper balance, people whose systems depend in the main part on the Vata tend to be creative and vibrant. However, any disruption in that balance can lead to fearfulness and stress, as well as a severe lack of focus. That balance could be disrupted by unhealthy eating and sleeping patterns, and recurrent fear or sadness.

In terms of physique, they tend to be light-boned with

somewhat sickly digestive systems, they are not quick to gain weight, and therefore they lean towards skinniness.

Kapha Dosha

The Kapha is the force behind the growth of muscles and the level of strength and stability that the body enjoys, as well as its weight and immunity. The dominance of that dosha comes with a proneness to asthma or other respiratory diseases, cancer, post-meal nausea, obesity, and diabetes.

Individuals with Kapha as their main force are commonly humble, sympathetic, caring, loving, and have a tendency to forgive. That is only when in balance, of course. They carry rather motherly traits. However, when an imbalance occurs in their systems, these traits are erased and replaced by laziness, insecurity, envy, and excessive grief. This imbalance could result in the main part from day sleep and excess in eating sweets.

Pitta Dosha

This force is responsible for the functioning of a person’s digestive system, metabolism, as well as regulating the appetiterelated hormones in the body. The pre-eminence of this force over the rest of the doshas in a person’s system can lead them when in balance, to be smart above average, diligent, and highly-motivated and competitive. When the balance is disrupted, these individuals could suffer from anger issues and become overly aggressive. Sour and spicy foods, as well as long periods of exposure to the sun, are among the leading causes of the disruption of Pitta systems’ balance.

Their physique is usually within the medium build range, and owing to their vigorous nature, Pitta-dominant individuals tend to be athletic and flexible when it comes to weight- or muscle gain. Their bodies are also susceptible to diseases like Crohn’s disease and heart disease, as well as disorders like high blood pressure and recurrent infections.

Where is Ayurvedic medicine practiced?

Ayurvedic medical practices remain part and parcel of the health care system of India where it originated a few thousand years ago. Whereas Ayurvedic medicine is not commonly studied in Western medical and educational institutions, the Indian government and other institutions worldwide (particularly in East Asian countries) incentivize and encourage clinical and lab studies in the field as Ayurvedic medicine remains a pillar of some Eastern faiths. In India, for example, almost the majority of the country’s population still goes to Ayurvedic medicine as their primary source of treatment or at the very least have it combined with conventional medical practices. The same trend exists in different parts of Southeast Asia, albeit the forms of the medical practice differ.

Western medical realms do not view Ayurvedic medicine with much confidence, however, seeing as how such medical practices have not undergone many clinical trials and systematized research reviews, without which no practice could stand a chance of garnering the trust of medical spheres in any Western country. Ayurvedic practitioners are not even awarded licenses in any US states, but that if we are talking about explicit

licensing for Ayurvedic medicine. They are often given licenses under different categories in health care, however, including massage and midwifery.

What are the diseases most famous to be treated by Ayurvedic medicine?

There are approaches that were developed by researchers for the treatment of schizophrenia and diabetes, but the studies based on which these approaches were reached were not conclusive due to academic restrictions on the field. In 2011, preliminary clinical trials were performed under the supervision and with the financial aid of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) also found potential in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis that matched conventional medical practices in terms of effectiveness. Forty herbal compounds put into Ayurvedic treatment were able to give the same effect as the methotrexate used in conventional treatment.

Arthritis was also found through clinical trials to be effectively treated by the use of turmeric, which also served to treat inflammatory conditions and a number of digestive disorders. Among the substances commonly used in the Ayurvedic treatment and which were found to have anti-inflammatory effects are Boswellia, which come in a variety of forms such as Boswellia Serrata and Boswellia Carterri, whose resin also carries positive effects for the human immune system.

There is a whole list of diseases, some of which we already mentioned and others that we did not, for which Ayurvedic medicine has proven as a viable option according to the University of Maryland Medical Center in a 2015 report. These diseases are:

• Alzheimer’s and Dementia

• Asthma

• Cancer

• Anxiety (Maharishi)

• Depression

• Menstrual pains

• Herpes

• High Cholesterol

• Parkinson’s

• Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) cramps

• Acne

• Chronic constipation

• Chronic fatigue syndrome

• Obesity

This list goes on, but these are the most notable and common among them.

How does Ayurvedic medicine work?

“Every creation inclusive of a human being is a model of the universe,” said a report released by the Center for Rheumatic Diseases in Prune, India.

First of all, it has to be noted that Ayurvedic treatment does not aim at cure diseases, but to cleanse the body of its sources of toxicity like undigested food and what not, and to provide it with a certain balance, thus allowing it to protect itself from

any hazardous diseases. This cleansing and balancing process is called “Panchakarma.” That process can entail whatever the practitioner finds most fit for the case, be it yoga, blood purification, massage, herbal treatment, etc. The end goal is to balance the person’s doshas in a way that brings out the best in their dosha system depending on which dosha dominates that system.

Because of the restrictions on proper research in the field of Ayurvedic medicine, some of the products used in its treatment programs are potentially toxic due to their containment of certain metals or minerals that might be found hazardous to the body. Even in the US, they are regaled as dietary supplements and are therefore not evaluated against proper FDA standards for safety and effectiveness as is usually done with conventional medications. That toxicity might not even be innate in the Ayurvedic product itself but is rather brought about by its mixture with other medicine, perhaps a conventional type.

That is why patients of Ayurvedic treatment need to inform their physicians if at the time they are being subjected to any such treatment. It is also needless to say that Ayurvedic medication should not be pursued without the consultation of a trusted practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine. Generally speaking, Ayurvedic medicine is a treatment of high levels of specificity, meaning that practitioners keep in mind individual factors of their patients and accordingly come up with a treatment program. These factors include everything that concerns the individual’s lifestyle and nature (including their dosha balance) down to their social and geographic circumstances, as well as the climate in which they live (in addition to menstrual cycles for women). For instance, for people who live in coastal areas where cooling fermented foods are the main part of most people’s diet, practitioners tend to prescribe pro-biotic rich foods for the sake of easing digestion and regulating their body temperature. Healthy types of fat and hot food, on the other hand, is advised o those who live in regions where the climate is predominantly cold.

In general, most Ayurvedic diets are plant-based with differing nutritional ingredients depending on every particular case’s needs. Along with prescribed herbs and teas, the treatment serves to detoxify the body, increase blood circulation, and enhance the functioning of various body organs (most particularly the liver). Among the most common practices used in Ayurvedic treatment is Abhyanga, in which herbal oils are rubbed on a patient’s skin in order to pull out toxins and stimulate blood flow. Again, the prescribed program is designed based on the person’ body type, their life circumstances, and most importantly, the balance of their doshas. That, of course, contradicts the conventional approach which prescribes the same medication to all people who suffer from the same condition alike. Ayurvedic aims at the root of the problem and tries to alter a person’s lifestyle and bodily balance in a way that consequently heals them from their disorder, unlike conventional medicine which gives drugs to counter the symptoms right at the surface.

Amr Abdelhadi is an Egyptian Correspondent. And a Contributor to Black American Moguls Magazine.

Black Tech Firms Making Moves In Healthcare

difficult to navigate, slow, expensive and on the road to obsolescence. OnceLogix is one of a fleet of electronic health-records systems that IT firms have been engineering throughout the 21st century, and the trio carved out their niche for OnceLogix by catering it to health-records systems for specifically mental health care providers. In fact, Brown describes it as having “strategically stayed under the radar.”

In light of the economic hardships that African Americans have faced in assimilating, the Black community has always taken careful stock of its successes and mined the minds of entrepreneurs like Manning, Brown and McLaughlin. A great deal can be learned from their business practices; although, lots of economic factors can affect whether or not the launch of a company is well timed. Starting a company based on a good idea can still prove disadvantageous if the market isn’t conducive to the development of that type of company.

ShareNote is, in fact, a product of the dot-com bubble aftermath. Founded in 2005, it came along just three years after what is typically considered the end of the immediately observable effects of the dot-com collapse when ubiquitous bankruptcies were reported sector-wide. Companies like Qualcomm lost the majority of their market capitalization yet survived. It was in 2002 that such companies as Qualcomm and Cisco began to inspire confidence in investors again as speculation began to look more kindly upon their businesses in light of the fact that they had survived two years of precipitous decline.

Prejudice and Isolation—

OnceLogix Shows We Shall Overcome

Roderick Brown, Trinity Manning and Ty McLaughlin—three Black entrepreneurs who have proven indelibly savvy in the health IT space—cemented an already stellar albeit continually evolving legacy apropos of electronic health records. In 2005, three brothers founded OnceLogix based on their flagship software, ShareNote, and this year, the contribution that software and its continued development have made to the healthcare sector was recognized by Forbes who listed OnceLogix as one of 2017’s Small Giants.

OnceLogix has come to serve an integral function in health IT. Hospital systems in the U.S. have been notoriously massive,

“They said, ‘You’re going to fail.’ We didn’t believe them, but we knew if they wanted to squash us they could,” says Brown, the 51-year-old chief operating officer of OnceLogix. He co-founded the company with Manning and McLaughlin in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. ShareNote is now the cornerstone of health IT for mental health care providers in 11 states, and The WinstonSalem Chronicle, a local publication in North Carolina, reports that providers in Texas (not among the 11) are preparing to adopt ShareNote as well. The 11 states account for some 350 mental health firms that rely on ShareNote for managing their customer data and yielding more white-label outcomes.

The early 21st century was like an exercise in economic natural selection. The very concept of a dot com was still very new, and this was a scarcely tested business model, which is why rampant speculation led to a panic that nearly crashed the market entirely. Only the fittest survived that period; these would be enterprises like Amazon and eBay. It’s still difficult to say what it

Cedric Dent Jr.

took for a company to survive that period, but Amazon has since proven to be one of the fastest growing companies in the world and is, today, the ultimate titan of industry.

Projections currently forecast that OnceLogix is headed toward accruing revenues as high as $5 million this year. Forbes’ list of Small Giants is a hierarchy of 25 coveted positions that each announce to the world that certain small companies are demonstrating significant growth in their respective market shares. It’s, perhaps, the penultimate acknowledgement a small business can receive before eventually (theoretically) rising to the level of a Fortune 500 company.

“When you decide to start a business, you have an idea of the things you want to accomplish and where you want to be at some point in the future,” according to OnceLogix CEO Trinity Manning. “Being recognized in Inc. magazine’s list of America’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in 2016 was certainly not one of those things. OnceLogix made the list in an industry that is rarely known for being based on the East Coast, or the South, and founded by three African-American males. We are honored and humbled at the same time. This accomplishment has been a pleasant surprise for the entire OnceLogix team.”

Manning’s point about the peculiarities of OnceLogix’s rise is valid; moreover, Black tech companies are few and far between in the first place, and the development of health records software is uncommon on the East Coast. Hospital Corporations of America is based in the south, as are many major institutions relative to medicine and education; however, ShareNote is not the kind of product or service that any of these institutions would produce. The company is practically a Silicon Valley fish out of water.

The accolades of any one publication, however, only go so far regardless of how reputable the publication may be. Market speculators and investors are, no doubt, increasingly interested in OnceLogix because of the reliability and efficiency of ShareNote in addition to its reputation for progressive IT solutions and its growth. Inc. magazine ranked OnceLogix 3,719th on its annual 5000 list. The clout of the Inc. 5000 list is nonpareil and specifically associated with the private companies that are growing the fastest in any given, fiscal year.

This listing exemplifies OnceLogix’s status as not simply a credit to the Black community but a credit to American healthcare at large. In other words, it isn’t simply a fledgling company whose few successes are celebrated by a local, Black community but, rather, a Forbes Small Giant and Inc.-5000 company upon which a sizable share of a market that comprises a fifth of the U.S. economy depends for the indispensible function of efficiently operating and continually compiling mental health record databases.

Still, in light of all the other obstacles that OnceLogix inherently faced upon conception, the company might not have been

able to survive a launch even one minute sooner. Confidence in dot coms waned significantly even after the collapse, so no matter what the idea was, it just wasn’t the best atmosphere for dot-coms to thrive. Even so, three brothers in healthcare saw a need that could be filled and started working to fill it during the aftermath of the collapse. They sallied forth and launched by 2005.

What’s more, tech companies are predominately White in all respects—owned, operated and staffed. In fact, the industry has taken considerable flack over this for years now, contending with the allegation that these tech companies hire Blacks in incredibly small numbers. Bloomberg reported a year ago that the reason Silicon Valley doesn’t hire more Black coders is because they don’t traditionally recruit from historically black institutions. Such institutions like Howard—often referred to by Ta-Nehisi Coates as the Black Mecca—only ushered 20 percent of their computer science graduates to these tech companies. It’s become a cyclical problem to an almost chicken-or-theegg extent. One can reasonably presume which came first, but one’s ability to reason on the subject is informed by what he or she already believes. Tech companies since market inception have never hired Blacks in significant numbers, but today when the market is actually thriving more than ever, Blacks are not pursuing many jobs with tech companies because they are offput by the prospect of being a “token” in the kind of corporate environment that has been lambasted for racist policies.

The pertinence in all this is that the tech industry as a whole is ensconced in a culture that disregards Blacks approximately 99 out of 100 times if judged by Google’s and Facebook’s standards. The culture or social environment of an industry usually applies not only to founders and CEOs but also venture capitalists and other investors in that space. In other words, the money itself is racially biased in terms of investment culture, which should have bulwarked OnceLogix in 2003 and 2004 when dot-com confidence was already low. Investing in a dotcom then was still a riskier option than it is today, and investing in a Black dot-com simply defies the predilections of the tech industry culture.

“The Inc. 5000 list stands out where it really counts,” says Eric Shurenberg, president of Inc. “It honors real achievement by a founder or a team of them. No one makes the Inc. 5000 without building something great—usually from scratch. That’s one of the hardest things to do in business, as every company founder knows. But without it, free enterprise fails.”

On the other hand, for all the obstacles that OnceLogix overcame by not launching too soon, the argument could also be made that Manning, Brown and McLaughlin dodged an equally detrimental bullet in not launching much later. They had to compete with both long-established competitors and young companies pursuing the same objective they had. Athenahealth, Inc., for example, was founded in San Diego, California at the beginning of the dot-com bubble’s recognized duration, and it is now one of the nation’s most used providers of point-of-care mobile apps and network-enabled services, servicing a network of over 100,000 care providers and 98 million patients.

OnceLogix grew alongside Athenahealth, Inc.; the latter survived the full brunt of the dot-com collapse and still went on to carve out a large niche in the health IT space. At the same time, competitors like Meditech, founded in Massachusetts where Athenahealth, Inc. is now based, have been established and providing information systems since 1969.

OnceLogix overcame or otherwise circumnavigated prejudicial financing in a time prior to President Obama pushing the JOBS Act through Congress, enduring disadvantageous market conditions and geographic isolation from the industry. In lieu of all this competition and the stark disadvantage with which OnceLogix began, Manning, Brown and McLaughlin forged the slow burn of what would still become a multi-million-dollar corporation, which makes them a credit to not only Black entrepreneurship but also Black IT.

Cedric Dent Jr. is a Tech Contributor to Black American Moguls Magazine.

Follow him on @CedricDentJr

Access Afya Breaths New Life Into Health Service In Africa

helping health institutions realize value by adopting innovative solutions,

The model

Access Afya runs a chain of micro-clinics in informal settlements in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

The clinics provide consultations, lab tests, chronic condition management, immunizations, family planning, antenatal and post-natal care and urgent care to the community.

Through programs such as Healthy Schools, the tech start up delivers check-ups, treatments and health education to children in partner schools.

Additionally, Field Care Programs take the clinic to the people, working with factories, schools, or other community institutions. “We send a mobile team with health equipment in a backpack to deliver care at different sites so people don’t always need to come to the clinic to access healthcare,” says Jaclyn Boland, Field Care Manager at Access Afya.

Education on health issues and concerns improves the communities’ access to health care services. Access Afya delivers this through community engagement to ensure patients have the information they need to make informed health decisions. Educating patients on their rights to care is a significant step towards a connected, informed and healthy society.

By Amos Wachira

There is a disparity between accessibility and affordability of healthcare for different socio-economic groups in Africa, moreso in Kenya. Access Afya, (Afya is Swahili word for Health) a social enterprise founded by Melissa Menke in 2012, fills this gap through the creation of access to quality health through sustainable care model. “Access Afya ensures that patient-centered outcomes-oriented, digitally driven primary healthcare is accessible to even the most underserved populations,” says Dr Daphne Ngunjiri, Access Afya’s Managing Director.

Dr Daphne Ngunjiri has a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree from the University of Nairobi and is currently pursuing an Executive MBA in Healthcare Management and Health Policy from Strathmore Business School. Her work at Access Afya involves combining her clinical and business background in

Access Afya is keen on the quality of care and products given to the patients that visit or seek their services. “Access Afya is committed to stocking only quality products at all our facilities. Towards this, we work mainly with one supplier who guarantees quality by conducting multiple tests on all products,” says Arpana Philip, Health Operations Manager at Access Afya.

Quality of care is also reflected in the staff at the clinics. Access Afya clinics have a licensed, trained and certified medical professionals who focus on building relationships with patients and the community in general.

Data driven approach

Access Afya is far ahead of others in terms of technology and this is key to their business model. All health and operational data goes to the informatics department. This department analyses and disseminates the information.

This data is used by other key departments, like the supply chain, to understand consumption, stock movement and trends while clinical data informs protocol adherence and disease prevalence in the community.

The sustainable, affordable and cost-effective healthcare model is gaining traction in Kenya

The informatics arm of this organization is also crucial in the monitoring and evaluation of their projects. “Working in schools has helped a great deal in predicting the kind of health problems children have so we can develop and tailor the right solutions, treatment and education needed,” says Osob Osman, Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow.

The innovation lab

Access Afya’s innovation lab integrates emerging innovations into their health services with the goal of improving health, social and economic impact within their communities. These innovations could be applied through technology, partnerships, finance, new business models and improvements on current product services and delivery.

One example of innovation Labs is Access Afya’s chronic care management program, Akiba Ya Roho. (Swahili word for The Heart’s Treasure). This program combines financial innovation through a digital health and savings wallet service delivery model, innovation through community-clinic linkages and collaboration with other health players – Boehringer Ingelheim and Ashoka’s ‘Making More Health’ initiative.

Why Access Afya stands out

Access Afya stands out because they care about their patients and take the extra step to follow up with them to find out if they have recovered. This outcome driven approach helps patients achieve their health goals, while Access Afya learns from their data to improve the product and service delivery so patients can continually access care they want, need and afford.

Access Afya’s model has significant impact not just for the health of patients, but even greater economic impact as a cost-effective

model for universal health care delivery that can be replicated and scaled globally.

Future of health firms using technology

In Africa, technology is becoming an increasingly significant tool for improving health care. This explains why there are many start ups in the health technology space with an aim of transforming the health sector. Kenya and Nigeria are clear front runners in this sphere. For Access Afya, continuous development of their model is among the firm’s top priority.

Currently operating within three communities in Nairobi, the firm plans to expand in three new communities and intends to grow faster in 2018 going forward.

Amos Wachira is a Global Contributor for Black American Moguls Magazine who spends his time on the ground in Kenya. Follow him on @Thee_HotPotato

Cultural Perspective

Playing God: THE PILLAGING OF OUR BODIES

The Crusades is a significant event that attests to how varying theism and religious narratives can cause controversial catastrophes. Waging wars continue in modern day society, however, while there is still bloodshed it is less overt and tends to be more subtle. The battle against healthy bodies and Homeopathic Medicine is something that has been often ignored or maybe just not as prominent in our consciousness. With the string of “coincidental” deaths of those who specialize in this healing practice, it is evident that we participate and essentially fund a society that bets on our deteriorating state over time. Those in the most dire straits find themselves in need of organ transplants.

In America, we find ourselves in a precarious state as healthcare systems and legislation constantly shifts and changes. Until the Well Runs Dry: Medicine & Exploitation of Black Bodies, provides context into the historical nature of how African Americans have been used in the advancement of healthcare but often we remain disadvantaged. When assuming the responsibility of the omnipotent but lacking the knowledge of every possible outcome how is the expectation of “do no harm” realistic? We find ourselves fighting the odds of yet another system that does not have our best interest at heart. Socio-economic factors along with criminal record prejudices make it hard for people of color to benefit, with the existing rules in place. These governing bodies who are in charge of donor deferment and who make the decision of who can be added to the transplant list have a daunting task at hand. So the aim of this discourse is to see how this process can become more equitable.

An initial problem is education. Those who are properly educated on the process are better equipped to succeed. An illustration of someone ill-informed is cited in the case of Cincinnati mother Greta Smith. In the midst of her grieving over the loss of her son, she learned the tragic news that she can’t receive his kidney. Although such an occurrence would be considered unlikely due to the varying constraints of a successful process; I am sure that under the correct circumstances Greta could have received her Deanagelo Baldwin’s kidney who was an organ donor directly related and

tested for his mother. Deanagelo saved 5 lives but why couldn’t his donation save the life of his own mother?

The Cincinnati news did not conduct an investigative report on the source of the “misunderstanding” but rather opted to use her misfortune to educate others. Greta was able to describe the conversation she had after learning about the death of her son. The doctors reportedly told her that she could not have her son’s kidney “because you are not on the kidney transplant list.” Her response was “Why not? I did everything y’all told me to do.” I will not argue whether Greta was misinformed or if the information was purposely withheld. Greta did use this information to ensure that she is now on the list after moving to another state. This account teaches our communities that we have to have more conversations about life-altering medical situations and not wait until one of our loved ones or even ourselves is in a similar predicament.

In attempts to have an unbiased assessment, let’s provide some statistics to help formulate an opinion on the matter. According to OrganDonor.gov, “More than 125 million people

have registered as organ donors, but only about 3 in 1,000 can actually become donors when they die.” One does not have to die to donate an organ, some organs and tissue can be donated by a living person. The site managed by U.S. Department of

Health & Human Services also states, “There are about as many living donors every year as there are deceased donors.”

Consequently, everyone won’t be able to receive a transplant but this should not constitute racially motivated bias. Anthony Stokes who presumably got a second chance at life with a heart transplant experienced exactly this. I would argue that the very reason for discrimination should prompt additional assistance rather than decisions made based on prejudice. Anthony Stokes was a black male teen who had a negative history of criminal activity. The Georgia resident received an outpouring of support that came after he was denied a heart transplant because of behavioral issues and disobeying doctor’s orders. Anthony was given 6-9 months to live in 2013, by doctors at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Those who came to his defense and his heart-wrenching promise made on the local news provided the necessary pressure to give Anthony a new lease on life as he received his new heart. Two years later at the age of 17, Anthony was pronounced dead after crashing a stolen car that was preceded by a botched robbery.

While Anthony’s criminal history may have warranted caution is it fair to say that he did not deserve the chance to live? Isn’t this a common trend that occurs in other areas of the American experience such as the judicial system and when searching for employment? This position may seem inconsiderate but how does one get a new lease on life when they are in the same environment? This unrealistic expectation of change is what I am asking us to rectify.

Not only do some medical practitioners seem to have biases but I also believe that these boards negatively influence how healthcare is rationed out to patients not only based on race, but also creed, nationality, gender, and poverty level to name a few motivating factors. The issue of criminality in this decision is particularly disheartening when the recipient is not the one who has a criminal record. The Hashtag “Kidney 4 AJ” went viral after learning the decision of Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. They decided not to move forward with a much-needed kidney transplant for AJ. AJ is a brave, 2-year-old who was born with no kidneys. His father is a match for his son and although a surgery was scheduled it was canceled due to the father’s legal trouble and probation.

How could anyone punish such a young soul who is admittedly in an emergency situation? Emory CEO Jonathan S. Lewin released a statement Thursday night agreeing the boy’s health should be the priority. Only after immense pressure from students at Candler School of Theology, the NAACP and Mawuli Davis the of Boazman Law Firm who is representing the family. Why did Emory HealthCare think that AJ deserved to wait when it is obvious that his current infection and present pneumonia

could have been prevented by proceeding with the surgery as originally scheduled?

The aim of this article is to create a dialogue that evaluates a patient’s needs taking into account the full spectrum of their life experience. While I was not able to provide any quantitative data in regard to this disparity I would hope the qualitative evidence presented is enough to at least initiate these conversations. It is necessary for us to minimize the racial disparity regarding how people of color are treated in the healthcare industry especially when organ transplants or tissue transplants are a matter of life and death.

Although, I did not want to detract from the evidence presented with what some would call an arbitrary claim, adults and minors of color are being hunted for organs and we don’t deserve to participate in a healthcare system that does not serve us. The imagery of Lowndes High School student Kendrick Johnson is the image that is left plastered in my mind. The 17-year-old’s body found in a rolled-up gym mat, later with essential organs missing whose death still remains unsolved. A change is needed in want could be described as an antiquated healthcare system. Unfortunately, these occurrences are more frequent than the few instances that have been shared. Thus, we must acknowledge that everyone can not garner local attention, let alone national attention to help during their crisis so the best resolution is to reform an ethically bankrupted and slanted decision process.

Evan is a graduate of Morehouse College. He uses his knowledge of Marketing and Sociology to foster a positive local community impact. As the Founder of Students Talking Out Problems (STOP), he is focused on broadcasting youth solutions to end bullying and create opportunities in STEM education. Follow Evan on (Jay put Linkedin icon logo) @

EVMcCullough

Mind Hustle

Alot of people claim they know the secret to success. They will claim it is motivation, ambition, positivity, drive and all sorts of other abstract nouns. However, they are missing the true vital ingredient, the real key that will get you started on the road to success is DESIRE.

It Comes From Within

It is obvious that if you are going to be successful in any area of your life then you need to want to be successful. It does not matter how hard working you are, how much time you spend at trying to become successful, if you do not particularly want to climb to the top it just will not happen. You can not have motivation without desire, but even if you could, where would you be directing that motivation? It is desire that will help you keep your eye on the prize and act as the motivator as you put in more time or map out complex plans on how to live the life of your dreams. And the more you desire something the more you’ll work to truly get it. As you do this, you’ll find that you subconsciously help to navigate through the mire of challenges…. and magically the world just kind of steps out of the way. The Universe appears to be conspiring in your favour.

Of course not all desire will work. First, your desire needs to be realistic, and secondly your desire needs to be concrete. A desire to fly for example probably is only going to end with disappointment unless you are from Krypton. So be realistic even about your most audacious desires.

How to Find Your Desire

If you are struggling to know what your desire is, then think of your life now as it is. Think of how it could be improved. Now think of how your life would look if you had everything the way you want it. That’s pretty desirable right? Maybe you have a big house and kids, or a small house and great artistic job, or you are a platinum selling Rapper, or a business Mogul. See know simple it is to determine what your desires are? Be sure to write them down and break them down into smaller steps and priorities. Use this simple process to gain direction and motivation.

Check out Black American Moguls Publisher Swan Simpson’s book, Mind Hustle The Science of Getting Rich Now! Available on Amazon and Kindle.

The Positive Habits of Successful People

What do positive people have in common? Lots of things. And in fact, if you look at the most successful people across every different discipline, you’ll often find that they have more in common than they have differences. Top athletes have a lot more in common with top CEOs than you might expect and the same can be said for artists too.

And when we recognize these habits, we can often break them down and work backward to discover some of the most important traits and habits we need to adopt in order to join them. Here are some of those positive habits…

Self Development

On his podcast, author Tim Ferriss interviews some of the most successful people in the world ranging from actors, to singers, to athletes to programmers. One of the things that almost all of them surprisingly have in common is that they start their day with meditation. And of course a lot of them exercise too.

What does this tell us? It tells us that the successful mindset involves being willing to work on yourself and get better. When you do that, you have no limitations and you can keep on getting stronger and better!

Following a Passion

Another thing that you’ll find without exception when speaking with successful people is that they have one singular passion that they follow in every single aspect of their lives. You’ll be able to tell because they will start talking about it right away and their eyes will light up!

It makes sense too – because when we have a real passion, it gives us the drive, focus and determination to work harder and smarter than everyone else.

Breaking the Mold

Something else that all of the most successful people in the world share is the willingness to break the mold – to walk the path less trodden. This is how they discover opportunities that others miss but it’s also fundamentally what made them

able to question their life’s path in the first place. Arnold Schwarzenegger was certainly unique for deciding he wanted to become a bodybuilder (he came from a small village in Austria). He certainly raised eyebrows when he moved to America. But he had the courage to know what he wanted and to go after it –even if it was a bit unusual.

Don’t be afraid to be you and to go the way you want to go. Rules are there to be broken – that’s why they’re called breakthroughs!

Top Five Benefits of Having a Success Mindset

MOTIVATION HABIT is what gets you started

Are you ready to start getting more out of your life and to start getting the results you want? For many of us, success is a very slow process and one that involves a huge amount of work and effort. For others though, it all seems to come very naturally. We all know those people, the ones who seem to have the Midas touch – who seem to strike lucky no matter what they do. What’s their secret?

There are many answers to this question but the biggest thing these people often have going for them is a ‘success mindset’. Once they change the way they think, they can change their fortunes – and the rest just falls into place.

It’s making that cognitive shift that will help you to start making the progress you want to see in your life. And here are five of the biggest ways that changing your outlook can change your fortunes…

Problems Become Challenges

A success mindset turns problems into challenges. It means that you stop seeing setbacks as the end of the world and start seeing them as new opportunities to kick ass and take names! When you take this approach, nothing can stand in your way!

And Failures Become Learning Experiences

You might have this idea in your head that highly successful people can never put a foot wrong or make a mistake. That’s far from the truth though. However, what makes failure very different for those with a success mindset is that they don’t see it as failure. They see it as a chance to try again – now with new information!

You Feel Amazing

When you genuinely believe you can do anything, it doesn’t just affect the way you walk around the office and conduct yourself in business – it changes the way that you present yourself and feel about yourself. In short, you feel awesome.

You Become Instantly More Attractive

What is the secret to attractiveness in both genders? You guessed it: confidence!

You Finally Start Getting What You Want

Finally though, when you adopt a success mindset and everything that comes with that, you’ll finally start to get what you want. Better yet, it won’t seem like an impossible task anymore. Once you give off that iron self-belief, others will start to believe in you too. When you have a clear goal and mission, anything becomes possible. It’s just a matter of time.

The Power of GOALS

Using Daily Goals To Make Baby Steps Towards Success

What is your goal

in life?

For some it is to get into shape. For some it is to get rich. For others, it is to see the world.

Now what is your daily goal?

This is a very different concept but actually the daily goal is far more important than the overarching goal – at least if you really want to achieve the things that you’re dreaming of. And why is that?

Goals Are Often too Vague

The big issue is that for many of us, our goals are much too broad and much too vague. Even if you have a ‘specific target’ like losing 5 stone in a year, this is still much too broad and vague.

Losing that amount of weight is not entirely within your control. There’s lots you can do to increase or decrease your chances of success and of course you’re mostly responsible… but there are other factors at play here too like your health and like your metabolism.

What’s more, is that having a goal that is that far away can actually make it all too easy to cheat. You know you have a year to lose the weight, so what does it matter if you eat a bit of cake today?

And it makes it easy to get disheartened too – when you get 6 months in and realize that you’re actually heavier than you were before.

Daily Goals Fix All That

But daily goals fix all that. Start with a vision – a very abstract vision of what you want – and then break that down into the smallest possible steps that you can execute every day or every week.

In the case of losing weight, your goal might be to eat no more than 1,800 calories a day, or to go for at least a 10 minute run every day. That’s a small goal but it’s perfect for sticking to because it is completely within your control.

If you don’t manage to run just that little bit, then you only have yourself to blame. There are no excuses to be made – it’s pass or fail. But at least tomorrow you can try again.

And guess what? If you keep accomplishing those smaller daily goals, they eventually add up. Eventually, you manage that big goal.

And the same goes for every other type of objective too. The best way to earn money is to build a business a little every day. And the best way to write a novel, is to write a page every night!

Make Little Resolutions For Success

you have a million choices open to you and you can take any of them. But how to know what to do?

Make a Map of Failure

If there’s anything you’re unhappy with in your life, then chances are that you got there by making certain choices and decisions. These are your failures and you are now bearing those scars in your daily life.

Many of us will accept our lot in life and accept these mistakes and thus continue to live a life less satisfying.

But what if we change this approach? What if instead, we take those things we’re unhappy with and we vow to learn from them – to not make those mistakes again.

Every single decision matters. Every choice you have made in your life has led you to the point you’re at now.

And when I say that, you are probably thinking of all those big choices you made. The choice to go into a certain career for instance, the choice to move to a certain part of town and the choice to marry a certain person. Change any of those pivotal moments and everything would be different.

But what about those smaller choices? And what about the choices you make all the time, simply through inaction. When you choose not to look for other work, when you choose not to challenge the system.

And when you choose to ignore the nagging voice inside that is telling you: there’s more to life than this.

It’s scary stuff because it means that no moment in your life is inconsequential. But it’s also incredibly liberating – right now,

Did you get to the point of being unhappy in your work by not speaking up and going after a raise? By not looking for work elsewhere? By not taking the chance to go after your dream? Are you unhappy with your financial situation because you chose not to budget? Or because you chose to take out a loan for something you didn’t need – something that didn’t help you on your path to success?

Don’t feel bad about these mistakes – just recognize them for what they are. And knowing that, use the opportunity to head out there and really make a difference – to embrace the life that you want.

Next time the opportunity comes up – take it. And don’t fail to speak up: start telling people what you want. Want to fix your finances? Come up with a budget and stick to it.

It’s not too late, if you are able to learn from those mistakes!

Joe Creadle is a very busy man. He is taking care of patients and running a startup aimed at solving the world’s health concerns. I had an opportunity to catch up with him in between flights. Our conversation about healthcare was candid. He opened up about the disparities and talked about the “R” word (racism) in the work that he does daily.

In the United States Health care is a big deal. In fact, it is a three trillion dollar industry comprised of Doctors, workers, investors and profiteers…just in America alone. Any “industry” that is motivated by profit and managed by balance sheets, is bound to be laced with corruption and racism. Unfortunately, that is the American way.

Healthcare is so vital to our economy in that the healthcare “industry” makes up nearly 20% of our gross domestic product (GDP). Our neighbors in Canada on the other hand have no such methodology. Healthcare in Canada is delivered through a publicly funded health care system, informally called Medicare, which is mostly paid through taxes with most services being provided by private entities. It is guided by the provisions of the Canada Health Act of 1984. In other words high quality, life enhancing, and life-saving health care is free to Canadian citizens.

Conversations about health are some of the most searched topics on internet search engines. It is also at the root of proposed new tax bills and the crux of American politics.

Professionals like Joe Creadle are looking for ways to help more people feel better and get better amid the controversy involving humanity over profit. He launched the website HealthGuv. com in early 2017. The goal is to create a dynamic space for people searching for answers to their health problems and concerns. HealthGuv uses social amplification to allow people a chance to converse, compare notes, share treatments, talk about solutions, and discover new modalities used by other people and patients around the world.

The solution you could be looking for, may be found in some other city or a different hemisphere on the planet. This gives patients, loved ones and others the opportunity to seek answers from people who share common illnesses. It also provides the space for patients to connect with others who share similar health concerns to find a system of support.

Unlike Web MD and other information sites, HealthGuv is about connecting people and potentially solving medical concerns through conversations and the sharing of ideas and treatments. HealthGuv is disrupting the “google search” by giving you a search platform incorporated into a social network. This is profound. This type of information and data sharing can change or even save someone’s life.

Joe is a successful RN who works at a busy hospital in New Jersey. When he took to the classroom to embark upon a career as a professional Nurse, he was told by his white instructors that he would never succeed. They predicted his failure. But he was more than determined. Joe continued to push towards successful completion of his program, but these same racist instructors began to manufacture obstacles and roadblocks to keep him from passing.

other parts of the world. Many times people search google for answers unsuccessfully. HealthGuv is the platform to search for the kind of real answers.

During our interview, I asked the CEO to share his insights on Obamacare and the politics of healthcare in the U.S. He told me patients are stressed out and afraid of losing cancer treatment for mothers, daughters……people fear they won’t be able to take care of loved ones at home versus a nursing home.

“People will die…. Republican, Democrat, in between….as a country we need to get together and figure it out……it’s concerning.”

Not only did he pass. He passed with HIGH HONORS and is in the process of completing his Doctorate in Nursing.

The inspiration for HealthGuv came one day when he took notice of all of the alarms going off in the hospital. In the midst of all the commotion, patients were interacting with other patients, Doctors and families. It was in that moment that he looked at the hospital as the world. What if people could do this in a social network and find answers from other Doctors and healthcare professionals along with other patients and family members. He started taking down personal notes and writing down ideas. He had conversations with tech savvy friends. He researched Silicon Valley and from this HealthGuv was born. HealthGuv is a game changing platform with a myriad of possibilities. Like from the moment a patient gets a diagnosis from a Doctor and connecting them with someone else, a community, global support, for say rare illnesses. Solving problems in Bangladesh. Allowing for a world of privacy and choice by going online when you are ready versus going to a local support group when you may not want to expose yourself in such a way. It is a place to find answers and treatments in

As someone caring for patients on a routine basis in long term care, rehabbing, geriatrics he knows Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) did indeed help a lot of people. People who were against it and not even knowing it was saving their lives. Chemo, expensive medications…Republican patients talking negatively about Obamacare and not even realizing that their treatments and medications were made affordable to them because of Obamacare. He has to spend time educating people in this way especially when they just don’t know any better listening to Politicians and the news media. Many of his patients realize this now especially with all of the changes that are being proposed. Everyday people, working class people are getting the messages that if certain provisions change, the quality of their care will also change. This is a serious set of “unintended consequences” that Politicians who support dismantling Obamacare will have to go before the American people and apologize for later in life. This is not legislation that we, the American people, can allow to come full circle.

HealthGuv is in its infancy. It needs your registration and input to drive the data that will help so many people around the world. It is a start up that launched January 2017 and targets people from 18-80 with an awareness that 18-24 year olds do most of internet searching. The company is headquartered in Ocean County, New Jersey with a valuation of $7 million.

Visit www.HealthGuv.com

Swan Simpson is the CEO of The Dominance Agency and the Publisher of Black American Moguls Magazine.

Follow her at @BlackMogulsMag and @SwanSimpson

“They played games, tried to discredit me…. Black people sometimes we quit because of these teachers.”

Stop Begging, Start Building!

For starters, every opportunity is not going to be next door, down the street, around the corner, in your city, metro area or even your state. You have to be smart about how you create your affairs and recognize that it may force you to travel for the opportunities that you seek. Put your office in an area that is conducive to the clientele you want to serve, move your living situation to an area that puts you close to the action, and be ready to move for business. We have to make it easier to capture an opportunity, not happenstance!

Secondly, stop waiting for someone to give you something, invite you somewhere or to think about you. Make yourself known when great things pop up. When you see something on social media with your name on it, inquire about it. If you see a flyer or hear about something, send an inquiry e-mail or phone call. Create a value proposition that allows for you and yours to get the shine, revenue and the open invitation that you deserve. Some people do a great job of having developed a brand and network for themselves that feeds them, but most don’t have that. Networking is more than just collecting cards and attending every event you hear about.

As we move from one year to the next, people start telling themselves, ‘2018 is going to be my year’, ‘I’m leaving (fill in the blank) behind,’ and the lashing out at others of why things didn’t happen. The blame game for how it’s everyone else’s fault of why things didn’t happen for one’s personal and professional affairs. The destiny of anyone is in their hands. In a global economy, digital society and freelance marketplace; excuses are becoming obsolete and pathetic at this point. With the innovations, technology, resources, and a multitude of ways to connect to build, expand and profit, one must think outside the box to get things done and achieved.

With that in mind, you must have a strategy. What do you want to achieve? What can you realistically do? What is your purpose for doing what you do? What makes you the person who can deliver or be ideal for being chosen? The WOW factor should be defined and a concise understanding of your industry and trade. You may want to get into trade associations, industry leads groups and attend related expos and conferences. It’s essential to stay up to date on your field as you do not want to be operating on old intelligence with your customers. We know these vision board parties are the things everyone is jumping up and down about, but you should be having a strategy session with your mentor,

advisor, team, and consultant. Remember failing to plan is planning to fail!

Besides, stop being so busy all the time. There’s a difference between being active and productive. Busy is just wasting time whereas productive is accomplishing tasks at hand. Audit your day and week, what do you get done? Look at how much time is being wasted on trivial and redundant matters. While the backend of your business must be tended to, don’t make it your point to spend every day, all day on administrative issues. We say this because it’s easy to fool yourself that you are running a company when in essence you are just pretending by occupying your time with busy work. Opportunity is not going to find you hidden in a co-working space, tucked away in your office, hiding in your home or always being preoccupied. Take time to get out! Use this time to research, look around and ask about the latest happenings.

Yes, that may include you attending a productive meeting where you are finding out about procurement announcements, meeting people on higher levels than yourself and checking on the political level to analyze the impact on your business. The important part is that you must show up, position yourself and stay in the know of upcoming significant projects and connections. Everything will not be publicized on social media; everyone does not have your direct cell phone number or e-mail. Given that, you have to place yourself in the critical areas so you can be seen and receive essential information that’s relevant for you to take notice of.

Lastly, think about where do you want to see yourself and your operations within the next year, five years and decades. What steps do you need to take to get there? How will this be implemented and followed up on? Who do you need to start meeting and building relationships with? Create a master plan that you have critically thought about that will bring you revenue, resources, and connections. It’s good to be a bestkept secret, but if that’s not putting money in your pocket, then you need to rethink that seriously. Stop being ashamed of thinking about how you will benefit from something. It’s time to start thinking like a business. You may have to create the opportunities that you want to see. After all, you are a business owner so use that innovation to elevate you. It is your responsibility to do what you need to achieve the results that you want (as long as you act with integrity and ethics). Don’t be afraid to ask for help or retain the services of a business consultant to order your steps.

Dominique Huff is the Founder and President of the Tenth Amendment Media Group and Intown Business Creators. Both companies are based in Atlanta. He believes that information is the octane to empowerment and growth. His journalism experience nearly spans two decades, and he’s been an entrepreneur for over ten years. He can be reached at dom. huff@tenthmedia.co

Opioid Crisis vs. Crack Addiction: Does Race Matter?

In October 2017, President Donald Trump declared an opioid public health emergency. He said he was concerned by the large numbers of Americans falling victim to opioid drugs including heroin, fentanyl (synthetic heroin), and prescription drugs like OxyContin. This mandated public health authorities to respond more vigorously to opioid addicts, and in effect meant more funding and leeway for these agencies.

It has not been lost on observers of public policy that this approach has been entirely different from what happened during the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s. When crack cocaine hit the market, it was very addictive to the users, and very lucrative for the pushers. This led to unprecedented crime levels as addicts stole to sustain their habits, and pushers battled for lucrative street corners.

War on crack cocaine

The American public was horrified by the rising crime levels as highlighted in the media. The media was awash with stories of addicts who could do anything to satisfy their high. The problem was that this problem largely affected urban communities, mainly the black communities.

The crack epidemic was seen not as a health problem but as a law enforcement one. It was seen as a threat to the American way of life including societal values. The public was not sympathetic to crack addicts but demanded a harsh response from the authorities to the crack menace.

The crack cocaine epidemic emerged even as the ‘War on drugs’ that had been declared by President Nixon in 1971 was going on. The authorities cracked down harder on drug possession. The US Congress passed the 1-to-100 law in 1986 that made the possession of 1 gram of crack cocaine equivalent

to the possession of 100 grams of pure cocaine powder. The authorities responded by funding law enforcement to fight the war on crack at a higher level. At the peak of this war in 1989, the DEA announced a $7.8 billion plan for this war, 70% of which would be spent in hiring more law enforcement officers This war continued into the early 1990s with law enforcement authorities becoming more militarized with millions of dollars’ worth of equipment including armored carriers, military assault rifles, and even rocket launchers.

Effects of the war on crack cocaine

The war on crack cocaine saw the biggest surge of US prison population ever. The prison population in 2000 consisted of 2/3 drug offenders. 80% of those locked up for drug offenses were black, mainly young men aged less than 30 years of age. The crack cocaine epidemic had taken a heavy toll on black communities primarily because crack was cheaper than other drugs and was relatively affordable in these communities that were historically impoverished and mainly lived in inner urban areas.

The society at large was not able to sympathize with these communities. Crack addiction was synonymous with black street crime. This bias was reflected in the apprehension of drug offenders. Black young men were six times as likely to be locked for drug possession as their white peers. This also gave rise to the image of the ‘Scary black male’ which further singled out young black men for harassment by law enforcement officers. The constant headlines about crack addicts and crime levels made it appear far more dangerous than other drugs, some of which have been proven to be more addictive. A Gallup poll done in 1986 posed the question, “Which one of the following

do you think is the MOST serious problem for society today: alcohol abuse, Marijuana, crack, heroin, and other forms of cocaine or other drugs?”

42% of respondents to this question answered that crack cocaine was the biggest problem. Heroin and pure powder cocaine were seen as a mere nuisance, even when they would grow to become major concerns in the years to follow.

Crack cocaine was seen as a bigger problem than alcoholism even as a vast number of Americans were living with alcohol addiction.

Failure of the war on crack

The war on drugs and the various legislation passed to fight it like the Controlled Substances Act did little to slow down the use of drugs and addiction. It only achieved locking of

young men at a scale that was disastrous for their families and communities, and heavily draining on the law enforcement budget. It made the US the country with the biggest prison population even though the Chinese population is three times that of the US.

The law enforcement approach to the crack epidemic did not bear fruit as the US remains the biggest market for cocaine powder and heroin, which are the two most lucrative drugs in today’s market.

Opioid Crisis

The opioid crisis can be traced back to the late 1990s. Easily obtainable prescription drugs were becoming more used for recreational purposes leading to an upward trend in addiction and overdose cases.

Painkillers form the bulk of opioids. These include popular brands such as Oxycodone (sold under brand names Percocet and Oxycontin), fentanyl (a synthetic drug made to simulate the effects of natural opiates), Hydrocodone traded as Vicodin.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reported that in 2016, half of the deaths by drug overdosing were attributed to these prescription opioids. The DEA also said that the deaths from Heroin overdosing alone were higher in number than deaths attributed to gun violence and car accidents combined.

Drug overdose deaths have been climbing since 1999 when there were 4,000 deaths. This number rose to 16,000 in 2010, 53,000 in 2015 and 64,000 in 2016. Drug overdosing has become the number 1 killer of Americans less than 50 years of age. The US life expectancy has fallen for the second year in a row largely due to the statistics wrought by the opioid epidemic.

Response to the opioid crisis

Unlike the crack epidemic that was met with the heavy hand of law enforcement, the opioid epidemic is being treated as a health crisis. Law enforcement agencies have begun treating opioid addicts as people needing medical treatment, preferring

to take them to a healthcare facility instead of pressing charges. The attitude towards opioids can also be seen in lawmakers. A good example is an article penned by lawmakers Newt Gingrich and Patrick Kennedy who opine that telling opioid users to come off the habit without assistance would be akin to telling insulin patients to get off their insulin, without a replacement. Notably, Gingrich had at one time said that crack addict needed to show self-control.

As an example of how differently the opioid crisis is being handled by law enforcement, Lacuna police department officers carry business cards to hand out to opioid addicts. This card offers to link these victims to appropriate health agencies for help. This is in New Hampshire, one of the states hardest hit by the opioid crisis.

Is it a question of race?

It is not lost on observers that the opioid crisis has mainly hit white communities in the suburbs. The treatment first approach by the authorities is being based on the facts that addiction is a health condition and not a criminal orientation. But this was well known even in the years of the crack epidemic.

Prescription opioids are also treated as less dangerous than crack cocaine. This is regardless of the fact that this addiction has the same type of hold on the victim, which can compel him/ her to commit crimes to fulfill cravings.

Another reason forwarded for the explosion of white people on drugs is that the effects of globalization have hit hard especially in rural white communities. Higher competition from cheaper third world agriculture has led to significant job losses in the rural areas. Why this connection between unemployment was not made to explain high black unemployment and crack use is not clear.

A study on 23 infants born by crack addicts in the 1980s wrongly concluded that these children would grow up mentally deficient and not able to support themselves fully. There was a ‘crack baby’ scare. In the opioid crisis, a baby is being born to an opioid addict every 19 minutes. There has not been a similar ‘opioid baby’ scare.

Are attitudes changing?

While it is undeniable that the crack epidemic came with high levels of violence and led to a heavy-handed response, it could be that attitudes towards addiction have largely changed from that period.

Prescription drugs even while sold illegally are rarely sold by violent criminals, hence the lower levels of violence associated with these types of drugs. The users are also largely hidden away in the rural areas and suburbs, which has not highlighted the epidemic as much as in city communities. More people are also aware of the connection between drug addiction and mental health. This includes law enforcement officers.

While the mental health angle to the opioid crisis cannot be refuted, it still does not take away the fact that young black men continue to represent an overwhelming majority of those apprehended for drug offenses even as the opioid crisis hits white communities. It remains to be seen whether this will remain true or change as the opioid crisis is battled.

Dr. Drai is no doubt one of the most visible reproductive health experts in the US, especially in women’s health. He has authored ‘20 Things you may not know about the penis,’ and ‘20 Things you may not know about the Vagina,’ both of which have become bestsellers.

Dr. Drai describes himself as an obstetrician-gynecologist (Obgyn). He believes he is America’s favorite Obgyn. He is a leading authority on sexual health with most of his work orientated to having his patients have more fulfilling sex lives.

Dr. Drai says he can comfortably take his patients through matters touching on intimacy, penis, condoms, foreplay, sex, masturbation, orgasms, role-playing, sex toys, and sexual positions.

Early passion

Dr. Drai says that he has always had a passion for solving people’s health matters since he was little. His mother reminds him that one of his favorite childhood games was role-playing as a doctor. His grandmother died of ovarian cancer, which he says strengthened his purpose to become a doctor and tackle reproductive health.

Dr. Drai believes that women deserve proper health attention at all stages of their lives, from adolescence to young motherhood to menopause and beyond. He says he is a firm believer in preventative medicine and continued care.

Relationships and medicine

Dr. Drai has a unique approach to health issues. He believes that relationships play a vital role in a person’s health and that things should be working out well on the relationship front for a healthy person.

He says relationships matter a lot to women as they are seen as the pillars of the family. This includes romantic relationships with

Dr. Drai A Leading Voice in Reproductive Health

their boyfriends or husbands, parental relationships with their children, grandchildren, nephews, and nieces, and extended family relationships with cousins, uncles, and aunts. These relationships shape a woman’s perspective on life.

Communication in healing

One of Dr. Drai’s tried and tested tool has been communication. He believes that communication is vital in any relationship especially that between him and his patients. The doctor says that he took time before entering medical school to teach in New Orleans’ public school system. This is where he learned the importance of communication, compassion, and commitment to medical work.

Dr. Drai believes good communication fosters trust between him and his patients. This is because his work entails some manual procedures around women’s intimate parts. Only open communication can build the patient-doctor relationship.

Working for the underserved

Dr. Drai remembers growing up where the nearest doctor was 45 minutes away. This gives him the motivation to work with the underserved members of the community. He serves women of color, incarcerated women, lesbian, bisexual and transgender women.

Dr. Drai is also committed to serving women in unfortunate circumstances including women living with disabilities, those who have suffered domestic violence, homeless women, and those with opiate addictions.

Public figure

Dr. Drai often gives public talks on sexual and reproductive health. He says he believes these forums help bring his message to more people on how to access health help and lead healthier lives.

Benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Although it has been around for more than 4,000 years, people still look at traditional Chinese medicine as nothing more than a new age fad. The truth of the matter is this form of medicine can be more effective than Western medicine and provide individuals with the chance to heal their entire body in the process by using an approach that focus on total wellness, rather than pinpointing a single ailment.

That is one of the important facts that you will need to keep in mind with traditional Chinese medicine. What physicians in this field do is they will focus on acupuncture and herbs that can help to improve the flow of energy in your body and help to create a level of healing that is going to help to improve your overall health. This of course may take a little time to prove to be effective, but eventually you will find that the approach is a positive one. In fact, most people tend to experience quick positive results when they turn to this form of medicine.

Think of it in this manner. When you use the approach of Western medicine, you will often take a pill that has been chemically created to help one particular area of concern. This in turn may cause you to have side effects in your body that add a need for new medications to be taken. However, when you look

at traditional Chinese medicine, you will find that the goal is to get total body health and with natural herbs and approaches, you can start to heal your body.

Some people though may find the process of using traditional Chinese medicine strange at first. The reason is that you are going to be presented with a list of important adjustments that you are going to need to make in your life. This will be things like eating less processed foods and quitting drinking and smoking if you currently do either one. This will help the toxins to leave your body and then you can approach your life in a healthier manner that is going to help your body to quickly heal.

Unlike other forms of medical treatment, you are going to find that traditional Chinese medicine is a proven one. With thousands of years of knowledge to work with, the benefits and experiences with different herbs and minerals is well documented unlike modern medicine. That means you can truly know what to expect and be comfortable in knowing that the chances of you improving your health will greatly increase with this process.

Mogul Tools

Affordable and User-Friendly CRM Software for Small Businesses

• Has an appealing and user-friendly dashboard that shows all tasks and activities, future meetings and contacts.

• Role Assignment - for larger teams, Nutshell CRM allows assigning of roles to each member.

• Nutshell CRM makes it so simple and straightforward to import contacts (two different ways), and you can go ahead to subdivide them into Leads, People, and Companies.

• It is an excellent tool for lead generation and tracking sales.

• It is an excellent reporting system, and users can get analyzed performance charts, summaries, sales forecasts and analytics for easy studying.

At a period when Customer Relationship Management is an essential component of a business’ growth and success, one CRM tool that’s attracting lots of users is Nutshell. Ranked 11th most user-friendly and 7th most affordable, this sales-process management software manages to solve what other CRM tools haven’t quite succeeded - motivating sales teams to be productive.

Nutshell doesn’t just promise to help growth-focused SaaS startups and small brick-and-mortar businesses develop, but rather helps establish stronger customer relationships. It is more than software your team would prefer to use as it’s designed to be up-and-running in less than 24 hours. Again, its developers offer free, friendly phone, chat and email support, and above all, it is 100% affordable with no hidden costs regardless of how many customers or data it will handle.

Why Nutshell - Customer Relationship Management tools, how comes it is one of the best?

As CRM software for small businesses, Nutshell is designed for sales reps that need to solve their day-to-day challenges. For a team to complete vital tasks quickly, this tool first collates critical customer information in less than 24 hours and integrates it with a software application used by the organization for a prompt reply. Mostly, it blends well with common types of software used by small businesses, including Google G Suite and Microsoft Outlook.

Pricing

Being voted one of the most affordable CRM tools out there, Nutshell CRM is suitably so. It doesn’t come with any hidden costs, and you will use it on as many data or customers as possible. Pricing is on a monthly basis and the lowest package goes for about $20 per month and a premium one for $35 (billed every year). To get a feel how this software is, start with the Free Trial that lasts for 14 days.

Parting Shot

Nutshell was founded in 2009 and at the moment, it has been vouched for by hundreds of small businesses as the best CRM owing to its userfriendliness and affordability. However, it is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, though it is one of the best CRM choices for business in over 50 counties. Just to wrap this up, Nutshell CRM is applicable in all types of startups, and you will like how it eases the whole customer relationship management process.

For African-American and Black Communities who are disproportionately dealing with 2 Healthcare Crisis situations.

Cervical Cancer

The death rate from cervical cancer in the US is higher than previously thought, especially among African-American women and older women, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The study was published January 23, 2017 in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

The researchers found that black women in the US are dying from cervical cancer at a rate 77% higher than previously thought, and white women are dying at a rate 47% higher than previously thought. This is thought to be from the use of certain personal care products targeted to Black female consumers.

HIV

According to the CDC, Blacks/African Americans account for a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses, those living with HIV, and those ever diagnosed with AIDS, compared to other races/ ethnicities. In 2015, African Americans accounted for 48% of HIV diagnoses, though they comprise 12% of the US population.

A number of challenges contribute to the higher rates of HIV infection among African Americans. The greater number of people living with HIV (prevalence) in African American communities and the fact that African Americans tend to have sex with partners of the same race/ethnicity mean that African Americans face a greater risk of HIV infection with each new sexual encounter. Some would argue that the government has a conspiracy to infect Black people with the AIDS causing virus HIV. More examination of the facts and research are needed to determine the validity of these theories. But for now, we are offering the following articles as information and a valuable service to all concerned.

Cervical Cancer Conspiracy: Baby Powder Dangers

increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

However, there is also need to understand that most of the talcum powders sold these days are entirely free from asbestos, and thus there does not seem a reason to worry about cancer. Therefore risk is mostly in those who had used talcum powder in their young life when it used to have asbestos.

So what do the professional organizations say? Well, the investigations done by professional organizations like American Cancer Society show mixed results. They think that there may be a link between ovarian cancer and use of talcum powder. However, such risk is not very high. Early investigations show that such risk is mostly dose-dependent, meaning that risk is only in those who have been using talcum powder for several years at least.

Before we dive deeper into the facts, we must understand what the talc is? It is something that has been used by women and in children since long, due to its soothing and drying properties. It is a product that found extensive use in young children to prevent diaper related rashes, and in women to prevent rashes in some extra sensitive places. Talcum powder is mainly made up of magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. All the elements in it are well known to be safe. Thus how does a question about cancer arises at all?

Does it really cause cancer?

As a rule, purest of talc would not cause cancer at all. However, for several decade manufacturers continued to sell talc that was not pure-enough, and had a traces of so-called asbestos. Yes, asbestos is the primary culprit. Both talc and asbestos are found very close to each other in nature, and that often leads to contamination of talc. Asbestos, once considered almost a magical naturally occurring compound of silica was discovered to be cancerous in an early 20th century. Asbestos use was slowly phased out from most of the industries by 1970s. However, traces of asbestos remained unnoticed, thus causing the dangerous side effects.

So yes, if talcum powder has asbestos it may cause cancer of various organs. Inhalation may increase the risk of lung cancer, pleural cancer (mesothelioma), cancer of abdominal organs. Some women use talcum powder close to genitals, that may

In conclusion, it can be said that most of the large producers have taken stringent measures to make sure that their powder is of the highest quality and free from asbestos. However, it cannot be said about the small manufacturers. Moreover, talcum powder is not a product that has to be approved by FDA before going on for sale in the market. But still, considering all the risk, a few years back FDA did check samples from some of the littleknown manufacturers. Thus to avoid getting cancer from talcum use, firstly, avoid using talc from the smaller and little-known manufacturers, secondly, avoid using talcum powder habitually for no evident cause.

Living Longer with HIV

treatment at earliest possible. There were days when therapy was only started when the immunity fell below a certain level, and people became symptomatic. Now as per latest guidelines, treatment is initiated from the day one of diagnosis. Such a decision has been taken to minimize the complications. Worried about drug toxicity? Well, considering the range of drugs, the medical specialist would always find the one that is good for you. What is best that in most cases you need to take just one pill a day.

Yes, today people infected with HIV may expect to have a lifespan close to non-infective individuals. It is no more a fatal infection, at least in the majority of people. Since HIV was identified in the mid-1980s, we have seen an introduction of more than one new drugs each year. HIV medicine is undoubtedly the fastest evolving field of medicine. HIV research has completely transformed our understanding of viral infections.

Are specific groups at higher risk?

Yes, the risk is dependent on both the lifestyle and genetics. In the modern US, men who have sex with men (MSM) are at most significant risk, followed by heterosexual sex, and drug injections. Afro Americans are bearing the disproportionate burden of the disease due to many factors. From poor socioeconomic status to racial discrimination. But apart from that, specific genetic mutations carried by African-Americans also make them more susceptible.

Living longer with HIV

Firstly, understand that HIV positive is not a death sentence, the disease would progress in each individual in a very different way. Some may stay healthy for more than a decade (longterm survivors) without medications, while others may become symptomatic from the very first year. So do not hesitate, seek medical attention at the earliest. If you have doubts, get tested. It is the single most important advice we can give.

Secondly, as we already mentioned that there is now a huge number of drugs. Thus the secret to living healthy is to start the

Thirdly, change the lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle has the same definition for all. Stop smoking, avoid taking alcohol. Exercise regularly, preferably do both cardio and resistance training. Healthy eating means, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, as they are a rich source of microelements, vitamins, and antioxidants. When it comes to food, pay particular attention to high-quality fats, eat food items that are rich in omega fatty acids, CoQ10 enzymes and so on. So choose a fatty fish, and eat more or organ meat. Prefer white meat over the red meat.

Finally, to live longer, it is equally important to take care of your mental health. People living with HIV are at higher risk of developing depression for various reasons. Social stigmatization, and worry about the future, along with the inflammatory responses, lead to chronic fatigue, weight loss, changes in sleep pattern, and poor handling of depression.

Thus remember that you can live almost as long as anyone with HIV. All you got to do is learn more about the disease, take medications, change a lifestyle, beat the blues, and join the support groups.

The History Makers

3 Black Americans Changing The Healthcare Narrative

The Face of Strategic Excellence at Trinity Health

Tauana McDonald knows she’s not a clinician – she’s is a 50year veteran healthcare officer, highly skilled and experienced with commendable accomplishments. But she believes that her intuition and acumen in identifying strategic needs and developing plans in the facility are central to clinicians operating smoothly. Because her operational skills ought to be spot-on, everything basically revolves around her planning.

Passion to help and Academic Background

But despite not being a physician, Tauana was very close to becoming one. Her two aunts were nurses and loved them because they were cordial and humane. One was a nurse in the operating room and the other in pediatrics and this would have undoubtedly influenced her career choice.

Maybe it is the passion to be in the medical environment, but not be in direct touch with patients that brought her to both Mount Carmel Health System and Trinity Health. First, she did and completed her four years in college as pre-med. Doubts about whether being a nurse would be a good fit shrouded her mind.

Though she never applied to medical school, Tauana derives lots of pride in what she’s currently engaged in. Giving back to the society is an immense aspect of her ethics, and Mrs. McDonald says that she was taught to serve by her parents. And so, she pursued Health Administration at the University of Michigan and graduated with a Masters, not knowing that it was still in line with her virtues.

Professional Background

Tauana McDonald

Of all female minority executives in America’s healthcare sector, Tauana McDonald undoubtedly ranks among the most respected ones. As Trinity Health’s face of success, Tauana is that go-to person whenever there’s a project that needs to be executed. First, she smoothed the way for the ICD-10 project before leading the way in Trinity Health’s adoption of electronic health records systems.

For someone who serves as a senior vice president in charge of all clinical business operations, ensuring everything goes as expected is a huge task. But thanks to her upbringing, the virtues she learned and the professional background she has so far followed, everything she does is worth her occupation.

Tauana’s first stint at IBM and later at Deloitte helped shape her career amidst the young mom in her. After lots of traveling at Deloitte, sometimes posing as a challenge against her family obligations, she finally decided to join Trinity Health. It is at this institution that her mother’s advice “To whom much is given, much is expected” echoed even more.

Mrs. McDonald, however, still appreciates her position at Trinity Health and how she helps bring out the best for its clients. She’s unequivocally proud of the facility, even welcoming everyone to be part of its success. Tauana, particularly, loves the diversity of the institution and can’t shy away from it.

Away from being Senior VP in charge of Clinical Business Operations at Trinity Health, however, Mrs. McDonald is the current Chief Administrations Officer at Mount Carmel Health System. She’s a key pillar in many distinguished initiatives, a mentor, and a distinguished speaker.

The Face of America’s Fight against Extensive Health Care Disparities

Genesis – Where it all started

Bernard Tyson says his decision to run his own started way back in 1977 at the Vallejo High School, class when he had gone with his diabetic mom to a local hospital. His mother would frequent the facility, and from what he experienced as a little boy, Tyson knew what he needed to do.

Tyson later earned his MBA in Health Services Administration at the Golden Gate University after interning at the same facility where his dream was born. However, it is at that institution where he got to see and understand everything that happens in a hospital vividly. The happenings, of course, shaped his quest for a solution and he was employed at the hospital right after his internship program.

How being the boss at Kaiser Permanente feels

Today, he’s the president and CEO of one of America’s most innovative, integrated health care providers. Kaiser Permanente is a non-profit oriented organization whose mandate is to deliver quality and affordable health care services through preventive, innovative and integrated care.

Sitting at the apex of Kaiser, Mr. Tyson is literally responsible for whatever this mega U.S. integrated healthcare providers and nonprofit health plans are responsible for. He has been its CEO since 2013 and as the chairman from January 2014, though he has been with them for over 30 years, of course, in different capacities.

Leadership skills

Bernard J. Tyson

Being recognized as a top healthcare CEO for a whopping four consecutive times isn’t a mean achievement, and nobody knows how it feels better than Bernard J. Tyson. But that’s not the only award he had bagged.

Known for his “enduring influence,” Mr. Tyson who heads Kaiser Permanente recently appeared second to President Obama in Modern Healthcare’s list of the influential leader in health care and even in Time’s Top 100 Most Influential People. Not only has the exploits endeared him closer to President Trump and earned him two official trips to the White House. His vocal calls for access to quality and affordable health care in America along with Kaiser Permanente’s ranking as the most extensive integrated delivery network are laudable. He’s, nevertheless, dedicated to transforming the future of health care in the US.

“At Kaiser Permanente, we believe that changes to our nation’s health care laws should increase access to high-quality, affordable care and coverage for as many people as possible. The Graham-Cassidy bill (Trumpcare) does not meet any of those tests…..” Bernard J. Tyson

Tyson’s strong advocacy for the elimination of the extensive health care disparities in the US aligns well with his position and reputation as an influential executive. Tyson is a smart, talented, thoughtful and a vocal voice in, not merely treating diseases, but more importantly making health care affordable and accessible. It is because of his enviable leadership skills that Kaiser has annual revenue of about $65 billion and reaches over 11.8 million members in eight states and Washington DC.

Vision for America

He still harbors his vision of having Kaiser Permanente as a role model in the field of preventive care with him as the cornerstone in combating serious health disorders. What’s even impressive is, he still visits hospitals and says he can tell how well the facility is run by merely judging from its cleanliness, the staff’s response, and the whole vibe.

Outside Kaiser

He sits on the board of directors of the American Heart Association, serves as the chair of Bay Area Council and also deputizes the chair of America’s Health Insurance Plans’ board of directors. Tyson also has a few more roles within the city of San Francisco. Generally, he’s dedicated for anything that benefits the local communities.

The Face Behind Dignity Health’s Successes

removed. It forced him to join Evangelical Health Systems (Advocate Health Care) and was about to be named Advocate’s CEO when the call for headhunter for Catholic Healthcare West rung.

What Motivated Him?

However, it is from what he faced back then that would later shape his career of offering quality and affordable healthcare services. Now, Dean is over 65 years old, but his commitment to providing health equity for everyone remains steadfast. He’s an ardent supporter of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and even featured in the 2014’s Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare.

In 2000, Lloyd Dean embarked on what was then referred to as Catholic Healthcare West where he initiated a revolutionary corporate turnaround. The organization had suffered four years of operating losses that totaled over $800 million. But he managed to turn the situation around, even leading to the rechristening of the term Dignity Health.

Today, thanks to his contributions, Dignity Health is making great strides in its mandate and has more than 300 sites in over 20 states. It is the 5th largest health system, regularly making profits and expanding even more. The institution has numerous hospitals, urgent and occupational care centers, home health institutions, imaging facilities, and primary clinics and thousands of employees.

Secret to His Success

It might seem like where he is right now wasn’t fated for a man of his caliber. Growing up humbly in Twin Lake, Michigan, Lloyd Dean didn’t even have a health insurance cover and would frequently face the consequences of being without one. He, alongside his eight siblings, experienced the inadequacies of the then healthcare firsthand.

Brief History of Lloyd Dean

Being raised in an African-American enclave at a period when his father was foundry worker and his mother, a homemaker, Dean’s family was on and off welfare. In fact, the first time he visited a doctor was during his junior high days when he required a physical before playing football. He, however, worked hard and joined Michigan University in Kalamazoo where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Master’s in Education.

He graduated in 1972, taught at a junior high, briefly worked as a news anchor for WOTV of Battle Creek before resuming teaching. He later worked at Upjohn’s health care services department for 14 years, and in 1992, his entire unit was

The secret to his success is the leadership style he exhibits. Mr. Dean is revered for his soft-power leadership style that suitably befits his demeanor. He’s direct, diplomatic and fair and regularly prefers credibility when it comes to elections.

As Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco says, Dean is still the down-to-earth fellow. Larry Baer of the San Francisco Giants says Dean is a lovely refined professional who commands a very can-do, assertive style. Also, he recognizes both the analytical and human sides of business, according to John Stumpf, CEO of San Francisco-based Wells Fargo.

Other Responsibilities

Away from being the CEO of Dignity Health, Lloyd Dean sits on the various board of directors in San Francisco. Most of the boards comprise committees on jobs and business-sponsored organizations whose mandate is to promote the economic wellness of San Francisco. And some of them include boards of Mercy Housing California, Wells Fargo, McKesson’s Advisory Board, Bay Area Council and McDonald’s Co.

He’s been married for over 40 years, perceives president Obama as a friend and resides on the Pacific Coast.

Lloyd Dean

Kandi Burruss Still Making Moves

Legions of her ardent followers are still basking in glory of Xscape, the ‘90s R&B group’s unexpected reunion, 17 years after their sensational break up. Others are in love with this sultry songstress and actor of The Real Housewives of Atlanta owing to her daring, charming demeanor.

At 41 years of age, Kandi Burruss is, without a doubt, one of the most versatile celebrities, actresses, singer-songwriters, and businesswomen of today. She packages herself as a sassy, modern-day, drama queen and a go-getter, thanks to her impressive growth path to stardom.

Music and Songwriting

Starting as a singer and song-writer at a tender age in the 1980s and the 1990s before joining Xscape, music was a stepping stone to her hugely successful career.

Kandi is a song-writing genius, too. She was the brain behind composition of several songs sung by many of America’s legendary RnB singers. She wrote for Mariah Cary, Pink, Alicia Keys, Whitney, Monica, NSYNC, Faith Evans, Boyz II Men and many more. Incredibly, it is because of her prowess that the song “No Scrubs,” by TLC shot to the top and even won a Grammy for Best R&B Song of 2000.

Movies, Acting and TV Shows

Kandi’s versatility on stage is her strength and her career as a reality TV show actress says it all. Kandi Burruss entered the acting in 2009, starting out at The Real Housewives of Atlanta in

the show’s second season. A year later, she created The Kandi Factory. She went ahead to star in a couple of TV shows - Single Ladies, Chef Roblé & Co., Let’s Stay Together, and Thicker Than Water: The Tankards, and her latest stint are at a movie called Never Heard.

In the #RHOA franchise, Kandi has become the Queen B of the show. Fighting offer haters like Porsha and villains like Phaedra Parks. The show is ranked highest amongst the Real Wives franchise.

Kandi’s Mogul Moves

Kandi’s clothing store, Tags Boutique, first opened its Atlanta doors in 2009 and expanded to a second location in Las Vegas. In 2011 Kandi launched Bedroom Kandi, a successful multi-level marketing brand of affordable luxury sex toys and products. In 2017 she open a restaurant, Old Lady Gang, which was inspired by the Southern recipes of her mother, Mama Joyce Jones and her Aunts Bertha Jones and Nora Wilcox, affectionately known as the “Old Lady Gang,” OLG is a joint effort with husband Todd Tucker that allows Kandi to share her favorite dishes with her fans and celebrity friends.

Inspired by Kandi and Todd’s adorable baby boy Ace Wells Tucker, Kandi recently launched Raising Ace. Raising Ace creates high-quality uni-sex baby and children’s products that make parenting fun and engaging. The company also contributes a percentage of its earnings to non-profit organizations that support single parents.

Master P’s No Limits Life

The Bill Gates of the Ghetto

“Master P” is one of the richest rappers in the game. With an estimated net worth of $350 million dollars, he has come a long way from the projects and the street from which he grew up. Born Percy Robert Miller, Master P started as a basketball player before venturing into the world of rap music. Today, he also owns a fleet of businesses that include Footlocker retail stores, several real estate investment firms, and a phone sex company.

Best known for his label, No Limit Records, Master P inked a multi-million dollar deal with Priority Records for major distribution which put his fledgling label on the map!

In 1998, Master P released his most successful album to date, MP Da Last Don. The album was based on a film that he produced, which came out earlier that year with the same name. The album hit number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, selling over 400,000 copies in a week. The album was certified multiplatinum, with over four million copies sold, making it Master P’s highest selling album.

100 Million Dollar Sports Game

With exceptional investment skills, Master P has managed to move from music to the boardroom, running his massive

empire. He even has a sports management’s agency that, along with the aforementioned ventures, rakes in over a hundred million dollars a year.

Humble Beginnings

Today Master P can be termed as a Mogul. However, in the 1980s and the 1990s realizing success, Master P had to toil his way up in the middle of a neighborhood where rap music was unheard of. He bankrolled his first hits and went ahead to sell them out the trunk of his car.

Master P is street-smart, and it is this trait that pushed him to make it. In the beginning, No Limit Records made no money. However, he had learned that persistence and a dream will take you further than any doubts that get in your way.

Starting A Legacy

It is indisputable that rapping is part of his family’s DNA. Master P’s brother Silkk the Shocker and C-Murder were renowned rappers. His son Romeo is a Rapper and an Actor, while daughter Cymphonique is an Actress on How to Rock on Nickelodeon. We don’t see nothing wrong with keeping the wealth flowing in the family.

Using Deluxe Business Services’ Intuitive Website Builder

It is practically impossible to recognize the largest check printers in the US without mentioning Deluxe Business Services, a company founded in 1915. As its tagline says, this corporation is a great partner whose mandate is to offer professional, personalized products and services to all sizes of businesses and individuals. For clear distinction, however, Deluxe has products for small businesses, provide financial services and, of course, the Direct Checks Unlimited line.

Services at a glance

For small businesses, Deluxe Business Services can offer customized products and services. Essentially, it majors in web services, search engine marketing, email marketing, logo design, business check printing and other forms of publication. It also does employee background-screening service. At the moment, it has over four million businesses that depend on its quality products and services.

On the financial services platform, many trust its 95+ years of stellar performance to offer superior solutions, including checks and help establish lifelong relationships. It has over 6,200 financial institutions that rely on its financial solutions across North America.

Website Builder to build a business website

Among the many impressive offers and packages this company provides is the ease of “building a new website in just a few clicks” in what’s called a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Website Builder. The feature is particularly useful for those business owners who don’t know how to code and would prefer to customize one according to their business’ needs.

The website builder is remarkably intuitive and user-friendly with countless freely available themes. You can design a beautiful, responsive website that has your preferred text and images,

layout, color, and font. But what many love about it is the entire ease of creating and publishing from a plethora of beautiful and attractive, industry-specific templates.

One just uses the simple and straightforward “Drag” and “Drop” functionality for a pleasant look, feel and navigation. Incredibly, one can design a site of any size, including free add-ons and publish it.

Deluxe Business Services also makes it stress-free to get a professional website, get a custom domain and even launch email and social media marketing campaigns. It has a powerful and premium Deluxe Marketing Suite where everything a business needs are heaped in one convenient place. Deluxe Business Services’ website builder plans and pricing are favorable to startups and established brands.

Pricing plans

The Starter pack is absolutely free, though it is just a website builder with email marketing and social posting tools. The Basic plan is a bit more suitable for business as, besides having several premium features, the plan offers one full year of using features free of charge. Advanced and Pro packages come with several business emails, more email marketing contacts and custom domain and hosting.

Parting Shot

If you would like to build a business website almost effortlessly, try Deluxe’s Website Builder. You will also get a chance to use its handy business applications and marketing tools to advance your business.

At 71 years, Cathy Hughes still exhibits the zeal and grit of any hardworking African-American entrepreneur, radio and TV executive and business executive of the last century. Her ascent to the executive suite is a lot like a fairytale, and she’s proud of it. Cathy the owner of $450 million Radio One (Urban One) alongside a host of other impressive feats and ventures, yet she still affords to say “I’m still very much a work in progress.”

Cathy Hughes presents herself as a visionary media pioneer who embodies the power of one – one woman, one step, one dream and one company. Undoubtedly, she’s one of the wealthiest selfmade African-American women today, as she owns dozens of radio stations, TV One and a couple more businesses.

Confidence and Focus

Cathy oozes confidence whenever having interviews and it is this trait that she attributes her successes. Years after her first radio show when she would stand in front of a mirror and broadcast, her mojo is still amazing. She can always talk about the highs and lows that helped shape her vision and bolstered her pursuit of success in the media industry.

Cathy Hughes is the first woman ever to head publicly traded company, Radio One, and all these is because of the virtue of being focused. She’s a competent manager who can’t lose focus and allow distractions to steal her attention form goals and objectives.

Early Passion for Radio

Getting at transistor radio as a Christmas gift at a tender age of 8 created the lifelong obsession she still holds on to date. Cathy says she would lock herself in her tiny family bathroom, use her toothbrush as a microphone and the mirror as her audience and do all-things news and commercials.

Cathy Hughes has never spent regretted of her decision to delve into the media industry. It is through Radio One that she has

Mogul Moves with Urban One’s Cathy Hughes

expanded to over 70 radio stations in nine major markets, has a publicly traded company and stakes in BET industries.

Business and Entrepreneurship

Cathy got pregnant at age 16 and got married at 17. She, however, says getting pregnant and finally giving birth to her son, Alfred Liggins, “was the beginning,” of an impetus to achieve more. Yet, her rise from a teen mom to a media mogul hasn’t been a smooth path.

After changing Howard University radio station to a $3 million revenue generating station, later buying a radio station with her husband and finally seeing the business tumble, Cathy believed it wasn’t the end. It’s her genesis to better things and successes in what she has always believed in, including getting recognized along with her son as “Entrepreneur of the Year.”

Movie production

Cathy Hughes recently joined the list of black women who make movies. Through a film titled Media, Cathy gives a story of a wealthy family battling competition to keep its status quo in the media industry. She says the storyline has been on her mind for six years and augurs well with her personality as a radio and TV personality turned media mogul.

Honors and Recognitions

While celebrating its 45th anniversary, the Howard University School of Communications decided to honor Cathy’s contributions by changing its name to Cathy Hughes School of Communications. She was also inducted into Radio Hall of Fame in 2010. It is another plus to a benevolent lady whose charity exploits have helped many studies in The Piney Woods School in Mississippi. She also supports the hungry and homeless, mentors countless women and advocates for empowering minorities.

Thank you Cathy Hughes for all that you do!