46 The Courier sun • health • OCTOBER 1, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com ▶health Advanced breast cancer diagnoses lack sustainable support More than half of American women living with advanced breast cancer feel support from friends and family is not as strong now as when they were first diagnosed, according to the global Count Us, Know Us, Join Us survey. American women with stage IV metastatic breast cancer and stage III locally advanced breast cancer - collectively known as advanced breast cancer - must cope with feelings of isolation when their disease progresses - a time when, conceivably, support is needed most. Findings from the survey provide insight as to why and how the experiences of women with advanced breast cancer differ from those with earlier stages. “People diagnosed with earlier stages of breast cancer focus on completing treatment as quickly as possible, putting the experience behind them and becoming a survivor,” says Shirley Mertz, president of Metastatic Breast Cancer Network and an advisory board member for Count Us, Know Us, Join Us, a program created by Novartis Oncology and 13 cancer advocacy organizations for people impacted by advanced breast cancer. “In a stage IV diagnosis where cancer spreads or metastasizes, patients must learn to cope with ongoing, never-ending treatments and uncertainty that comes with disease progression.” An estimated 220,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and as many as 30 percent will develop metastatic disease. For these women, whereas support seems to be strong surrounding their original breast cancer diagnosis, some express difficulty in explaining to their loved ones what it means now that their disease has progressed. According to three-quarters of women who participated in the survey, the differences are severe enough that they feel that no one understands what they are going through. “Many women whose disease has progressed feel isolated from broader breast cancer support groups that focus on early detection and survivorship, because their cancer will not go away,” says Christine Benjamin, breast cancer program director at SHARE Cancer Support, and also an advisory board member for Count Us, Know Us, Join Us. “This is why it is critical for women with advanced breast cancer and their loved ones to receive additional emotional support and resources in order to cope with what has become their new normal.” Benjamin explained that the same type of emotional support and informational resources are especially critical for the approximately 38,000 American women each year who receive an initial diagnosis of advanced breast cancer. Unfortunately, while nearly all of those surveyed in the U.S. say that they actively seek out information about their diagnosis on their own (97 percent), exactly 50 percent say that what is available does not address their needs. What’s more, 70 percent of women say it is hard to find support groups for advanced breast cancer. According to Mertz and Benjamin, providing support tailored to the needs of women living with advanced breast cancer plays a huge factor in helping them to live better lives. For that reason, Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, SHARE and other advocacy organizations work to create programs specifically for women with advanced and metastatic breast cancer and help to provide resources such as Count Us, Know Us, Join Us which offers information and support on its website, www.advancedbreastcancercommunity.org, for people impacted by the disease. Courtesy BPT Study: Fewer New Yorkers are without health insurance by the QUENS COURIER STAFF editorial@queenscourier.com @queenscourier Less than a million New York City dwellers are lacking health insurance, according to results of the city Health Department’s 2014 Community Health Study announced recently. Just 13.8 percent of New York City adults were uninsured in 2014, the study noted, representing a 34 percent drop from 20.9 percent listed the previous year. The Health Department indicated the drop reflected the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which is credited with making health insurance coverage more affordable and accessible. The study estimates that fewer than 900,000 adult New Yorkers are without health insurance, compared with 1,324,000 determined in the 2013 study. It was the first signficant decrease after the number of uninsured New Yorkers increased steadily between 2008 and 2013. There was a tremendous decrease from 2013 (26.2 percent to 17.8 percent) among adults without health insurance whose annual household incomes were less than 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Individuals who are under this income level have access to financial subsidies to purchase insurance or public health insurance. Hispanic New Yorkers have the highest 2014 uninsured prevalence (22.6 percent), compared with all other racial/ethnic groups. Since 2014, the Health Department, in partnership with the Human Resources Administration, launched two citywide campaigns to encourage New Yorkers to sign up for a health insurance plan through the New York State of Health Marketplace, made available through the Affordable Care Act. The multilingual campaigns were designed to reach low-income uninsured populations and included multimedia ads, a texting resource and volunteer and community outreach to help spread the campaign’s message. “These impressive increases in coverage bring with them the promise of better health for thousands of New Yorkers, but we’re not done yet,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, deputy commissioner for the Division of Prevention and Primary Care. “Many remain without insurance, and these include populations where health inequities persist. The Health Department is committed to working towards reduced barriers to care for all residents of New York City.” Collected since 2002, the Community Health Survey is a crosssectional telephone survey that gives a comprehensive look at the health of adult New Yorkers. Approximately 8,500 randomly selected adults aged 18 and older from all five boroughs of New York City are sampled annually. Interviews are conducted over landline and cellphones in English, Spanish, Russian and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). Community Health Survey results are analyzed and disseminated in order to track the health of New Yorkers, inform health program decisions and contribute to the understanding of the relationship between health behavior and health status.
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