http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-isat-answers-20101018,0,308277.story

http://www.parentdish.com/2010/10/18/no-child-left-behind-because-tests-are-dumbed-down/?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl7%7Csec3_lnk2%7C178705

Quote :

"The Chicago Tribune reports kids there have had trouble passing annual achievement exams. So state officials simply cut the number of points required to be considered "proficient." Four years ago, according to the Tribune, fifth-graders needed 36 to 56 points (about 64 percent) to pass the reading test of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). Now, they only need 31 points (or 55 percent) to pass. Third- and fourth-graders needed to score 61 percent to pass their reading tests. Now, that's down to 54 percent. "

Obama, Acorn, and now this...

but really, can't we get someone to just stand up and say no child left behind is a joke. All of the teachers think so, and now we have state board of education officials dumbing down their requirements just so they can continue to receive federal dollars even though more kids are not passing.

10/19/2010 2:38:25 PM

UPDATE - Schools and Hospitals are bad...

Breast Cancer Standards Not Being Met in Chicago
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Breast-Cancer-Standards-Not-Being-Met-in-Chicago-105428583.html

Quote :

"Only about one of out three Chicago-area hospitals can prove they're catching breast cancer early. The Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force is attempting to address the widening mortality rates among African-American and Caucasian women in Chicago. Experts believe African-American women are more likely to die from the disease because of substandard screening and treatment. The results showed only about one-third of facilities that offer cancer screening could demonstrate they detected tumors while they were small. Similarly only a third of hospitals could prove they provided treatment 30 days after diagnosis. The task force was unable to determine if the low rate of detection and care were more of a performance problem or a record keeping problem. The consortium is hoping the data will explain why there's a disturbing disparity between black and white women. "We found, historically, that facilities that service black women in Chicago were less likely to have digital mammography, were less likely to notify patients of abnormal results the same day they were received and were less likely to have mammograms read by breast imaging specialists," said Dr. David Ansell, chairman of the breast cancer task force. "

It also appears healthcare in Chicago may be racist - is this what we can expect from obamacare?

10/21/2010 10:05:35 AM

I had a 63 yr old black female last week that came in because she could no longer see. This was her FIRST eye exam in her life. Simply amazing. Best corrected was 20/400 in one eye and Hand motion in the other, she has end stage glaucoma that any 20 dollar walmart OD would have picked up and treated, but in this case she will spend the next 20 something yrs legally blind when this could have been prevented had she gone to a doctor. Sad, she had the money, im not sure if it was a fear of doctors or just ignorance.

Ive only seen 3 people go blind from glaucoma, all black. One was in memphis in school and he refused to take his drops bc he wanted disability. (amazing) The other was here, was diagnosed with glaucoma and treated while in jail (its free), got out for 8 yrs, didnt get checked or take medicine, got back into jail and wanted me to fix his eye. (luckily, the other is working well). And she would be my third. Glaucoma occurs a lot more in minorities, esp blacks, however its treatable/preventable.

as a whole, that group just doesnt seem to take care of themselves. Of course you could point to many reasons, I think education would probably be the most accurate.

[Edited on October 21, 2010 at 11:51 AM. Reason : .]

10/21/2010 11:29:47 AM

^? I don't understand why you're talking.

Norrin Radd's article was about how facilities in Chicago that serve black women provide less and lower quality services. It had nothing to do with this notion that black people don't take care of themselves.

On the business of glaucoma...black people for whatever reason are waaay more likely to get glaucoma in the first place. So it's not surprising that all your patients that went blind from it were black. Basically, your little anecdote says more about glaucoma than it does about black people. Furthermore, it's not called the "sneak thief of sight" for nothing. If you don't get routine eye exams (lots of people of all races don't), then yeah, it can creep up on you before you know it.

If you wanna talk about black people not going to the doctor, we can do that. But you gotta come with more than a few stories about glaucoma. And you should probably start a new thread to do it in.

10/21/2010 1:18:27 PM

I was explaining my experience with one aspect of these type of "gaps". As long as I can remember they have been trying to explain why there are these differences. It is not just in chicago but a nationally, and just not with cancer either.

Here is one article talking about chicago compared nationally.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-12-18/news/0912170917_1_disparities-health-care-health-insurance

"Nationally, the racial gap got worse from 1990 to 2005 for six of the 15 health indicators researchers studied."

"While it is important to measure an urban city like Chicago against national numbers," Benjamin said, "the national statistics include lots of places where some of the challenges of racial disparity don't exist."

Now to address the article directly. One of the factors for the article was being notified on the same day of abnormality. While nice, it does not affect outcome.

I suppose you missed me saying that "Glaucoma occurs a lot more in minorities, esp blacks,"

I think its important to find out what can be done to "fix" the gap, but in my last case money, access were not factors. My patient in memphis had free health care and free medicine, just chose not to take it. Glaucoma, unlike ARMD, is something we can control very well and hopefully give them their sight and they never realized they had a problem, but it requires action on the patients part.

10/21/2010 2:08:29 PM

^Racis...nah, too easy.

10/21/2010 2:22:32 PM

^one of the first things we have to overcome to address the issue is being able to actually talk about it without the fear of being called racist.

Here is a good website talking about some differences.
http://www.closingthehealthgap.org/What/index.html

[Edited on October 21, 2010 at 2:41 PM. Reason : .]

10/21/2010 2:28:59 PM

OMG BLACK PEOPLE DONT GIVE A SHIT AND THEY JUST WANT DISABILITY MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Signed,

"Doctor" In-about-an-Hour(TM)

10/21/2010 2:47:04 PM

I never said that at all. Certainly ONE patient in memphis fit that discription. I do get all sorts wanting me to fill out their disability forms though. But as a group you can look at the statistics and draw certain conclusions. Like I said earlier, I think education is the key to shrink the gap. Or just lower overall health care to everyone...its worked so well in schools. (joking)

that continues to be so funny joe, keep it up.


Sorry to hijack your thread Norrin, i wont post anymore in it.

10/21/2010 3:30:27 PM

No problem - you actually circled back to topic with the joke about the schools...

since that was the topic of the first post.

10/21/2010 5:44:01 PM

Why is eyedrb lecturing us about how to close the health gap?

Dude blathers about black people dying of glaucoma and comes to the conclusion that "that group just doesn't seem to take care of themselves" as if it's some kind of mysterious thing...

And then he posts info about health disparities. I thought he would post about something he's doing to close the health gap, but nope, just a comprehensive list of health disparities that everybody already knows about.

Do eye doctors go to medical school?

10/21/2010 11:06:51 PM

no. they do not.

optometrists are like chiropractors. you get a four year degree in anything, then pay for some specialized training at a special "optometry school". then they get a job at LensCrafters where they spend their days shining lights in peoples eyes, interpreting the results of standard vision tests, and pass out contacts and bifocals.

real doctors, ophthalmologists, are actual M.D.s ... they are the ones who go to an AMA accredited medical school for four years, do a residency for four years, as well as additional education and training in their specialization. they are the ones who diagnose, prescribe and operate.





[Edited on October 22, 2010 at 10:42 AM. Reason : ]

10/22/2010 10:33:36 AM

^^AHA, going blind, not dying.

^I knew it!

I mean, he just doesn't talk like any doctor I know. I only know a few, but none of them make contributions or observations as mundane/pointless as this guy. And none of them are afraid of being called racist.

10/22/2010 12:40:07 PM

Not a good time to live in Chicago...

Survey Shows Rise in New Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Chicago Area

http://www.healthcanal.com/infections/11860-Survey-Shows-Rise-New-Antibiotic-Resistant-Bacteria-Chicago-Area.html

Quote :

"In a survey of Chicago-area healthcare facilities, researchers at Rush University Medical Center and the Cook County Department of Public Health have found that the incidence of KPC-producing bacteria is rising. These bugs cause infections with high mortality rates and are resistant to the most commonly used antibiotics. KPC, or Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase, is a type of antibiotic resistance most often found in variants of Klebsiella pneumoniae, common bacteria that naturally live on the skin and in the mouth and intestines and can cause pneumonia and urinary tract infections. The bacteria were first identified in the U.S. on the East Coast in 1999 and have been gradually spreading across the country. The first report of the bacteria in Chicago was in 2007. The survey found that between 2009 and 2010, the number of healthcare facilities in Chicago that reported infections with the bacteria increased by 30 percent, and the number of patients who tested positive for the bacteria nearly tripled. Specifically, in 2009, 26 of 54 health facilities reported identification of KPC-producing bacteria. A year later, that number increased to 37 of 57 facilities. The mean number of patients who tested positive for the bacteria at each facility increased from 3.8 to 10.2. The results of the survey are being presented Friday, October 22, at the 48th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Vancouver. “KPC-producing bacteria are a common type of bacterium that has evolved into a dangerous source of infection and a major challenge for infection control,” said Dr. Mary Hayden, director of clinical microbiology and associate professor of infectious diseases and pathology at Rush University Medical Center. “Infections due to these bacteria are difficult to treat because most strains are resistant to the majority of our usual antibiotics. Some strains are resistant to all drugs.” Hayden and her colleagues found that 75 percent or more of the patients who tested positive for the bacterium had been in a long-term care facility, such as a nursing home. “Since antibiotics are virtually ineffective against these bacteria, prevention is key,” Hayden said. One important measure, she said, is coordination between long-term care facilities and acute-care hospitals, since patients who are infected with KPC-colonizing bacteria are often transferred between facilities for treatment. Contact isolation is crucial to control spread of the bacteria. According to Hayden, infection with KPC-positive bacteria is associated with high mortality. In one study, she said, researchers had found that patients infected with these bacteria were three times as likely to die as were patients infected with similar, but KPC-negative bacteria. KPC-producing bacteria can spread rapidly throughout a geographic region. Israel had a major outbreak of the bacteria only a few years after the first case was identified. "

10/22/2010 4:24:38 PM

you sir, are a fucking idiot.

antibiotic resistant bacteria strains are a global health crisis, and are a problem for every single hospital in the nation.

10/22/2010 4:29:49 PM

yes, as i'm sure the...

Quote :

"number of patients who tested positive for the bacteria nearly tripled "

...at all hospitals across the nation



why don't you go stick your head back in the sand

10/22/2010 5:02:28 PM

Quote :

"Fitch Downgrades Chicago For 2nd Time In 3 Months "

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101028-719665.html

Quote :

"Fitch Ratings downgraded Chicago's general-obligation bonds for the second time in three months, saying Thursday the city has "weakened" financial flexibility amid revenue declines, among other resasons. The ratings service dropped the $6.8 billion in GO bonds a notch to AA-, following a similar-sized move in early August. The outlook was raised to stable from negative, easing the risk of further downgrade. Fitch said Thursday the latest downgrade comes as the city has continued to use long-term financial reserves and other nonrecurring revenue to help offset "severe revenue declines and increased spending pressures." It also noted that Chicago has above-average debt levels and that its economy "remains challenged" by high unemployment rates, elevated exposure to subprime mortgages and above-average rates of foreclosure. Although the city has a "broad and diverse" economy, Chicago's financial condition has been weakened by multiple years of budget gaps and what Fitch called "structural imbalance," as well as a hefty--and quickly growing--unfunded pension obligation. The ratings service noted that for fiscal 2011, Chicago faced its biggest-ever budget gap at nearly $655 million. "

10/28/2010 3:17:39 PM