La musique adoucit les douleurs

When Baltimore launched a citywide effort to reduce infant mortality in 2009 called B'More for Healthy Babies, Upton Druid Heights was a prime target. That effort has since cut down infant deaths in the city by 24 percent and led to a record low number of annual sleep-related infant deaths.

New Mexico’s veterans are getting faster care as new programs expand to rural areas. Thanks to a host of initiatives, including telemedicine, contracts with community clinics, and travel benefits, the state’s VA health care system has recently seen improvements in appointment wait times for veterans.

India launched a new nationwide healthcare program dubbed “Modicare.” The massive plan is supposed to provide healthcare to 500 million people. Most importantly, it will provide “poor families insurance of up to $6,950 in hospitals, a significant sum in India.”

Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service attends events in rural and remote areas to offer care and education. The RFDS flies to community events like bronco branding competitions not only to respond to any medical emergencies, but to give lessons in preventative care to people who might not seek out doctors otherwise.

There is a growing need for physicians in rural areas, so Campbell University in North Carolina is working to address this gap by sending medical students to practice in these populations. By placing clinical campuses in undeserved areas, the medical program is focusing on connecting students with communities where they can make a difference.

Online counseling websites that utilize the practice of cognitive behavioral therapy are helping teenagers and young adults access services they may need during challenging times. Psychologists do caution that these aren't replacements for face-to-face therapy, but that they do help when in-person options are not available or feasible.

Kano State, once the epicenter in Nigeria for cases of COVID-19, now boasts the highest rate of daily testing numbers after piloting a community-sampling strategy that allowed for mass testing. The pilot was largely possible due to a massive community mobilization effort and resulted in a decline in community transmission.

After losing its only hospital, finding a sustainable model to provide emergency care proved difficult. The city increased EMS resources and, after years of negotiation and fundraising, Labette Health opened the Independence Healthcare Center. The Center includes an emergency room, a helipad, and space to accommodate patients for up to 36 hours. Patients who need more extensive care are transferred to hospitals in other towns. The building also has a rural health clinic with services like radiology, a lab, and a cancer infusion center. The sites average 500 and 1,000 patients a month respectively.

There are several new projects and services emerging to improve access to mental health care, with more resources in development. From the Integrated Services of Kalamazoo and St. Joseph Community Mental Health now offering subsidized services to improved ease of access when reaching the National Suicide Hotline, state, and federal policymakers are working to allocate more funds to expand access.

A free COVID-19 vaccination clinic has led to the city of Boston having the lowest COVID case rates in the country, as well as a significantly narrowed racial gap in vaccinations. After the clinic’s success, local healthcare professionals and leaders began working together to apply the strategies to other health disparities including HIV, Mpox, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.