“And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, Woe, Woe, to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! [Revelation 8:13]. One more trumpet blast will sound. One more final woe is coming upon the earth. Repent NOW before there will be no more time to repent!
Listen, God sends warnings and redemptive judgments so that we will change our course. If His warnings are ignored and His redemptive judgments do not produce repentance and reformation, God will send a destroyer to destroy the unrepentant. If the situation is not redeemable, God will send totally destructive judgments. Do not bring harm to yourself [Jeremiah 25:4-5]. Repent NOW before there will be no more time to repent! If you do not, thus saith the Lord: ‘Because you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of the north…, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy [you] and make [you] an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from [you] the sounds of joy and gladness, the voice of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland…” [Jeremiah 25: 8-11].
Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent, Repent, Repent! For as I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked: but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn! Turn from your evil ways. For why should you die? [Ezekiel 33:11]. Judgment is about to come to the earth like never before. The storm is about to break in all of its fury. Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. [Luke 13:3]. You see, the “Third Woe” involves the seven last plagues [Revelation 16]. I tell you, a prudent man sees danger and takes refuge… the simple keep going and suffer for it.” [Proverbs 22:3]. Repent while there is still time! “Come out of her, lest you share in her sins, and receive of her plagues.” [Rev.18:4]. “For He swore by him who lives forever and, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be NO MORE DELAY!” [Rev.10:6]. Turn away from your sin and turn to God NOW. Desire to have nothing to do with sin! “…God is not wishing that [you] should perish, but that [you] should reach repentance.” [2Peter 3:9]. I tell you, the “Third Woe” is coming soon! Repent NOW before there will be no more time to repent!
Childhood disability initiated career path of helping people through medicine
By Timothy Cox –
BALTIMORE, MD — As the youngest of three children born to Army 2nd Lt. Calvin Smith and Betty Cross (Stratton) Smith, Sheldon Stewart Smith, aka “BuBu”who now goes by Dr. Ahmses SaRa Maat, grew up aspiring to become a military hero, much like his father, who was a WWII veteran in the African American flying regiment known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
During the early 1990s, while living in Morrow, Ga., Dr. Maat spent quality time as a respiratory therapist at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital, one of the world’s leading Level 1 emergency trauma centers. “I certainly relish my developmental years while at Grady,” said Dr. Maat.
Childhood disability empowered and unknowingly helped steer his career path
At age 61, Dr. Maat now lives in Desert Sun, California. He often reflects on how growing up with chronic asthma impacted his life as a teen and young adult, trying to avoid peer pressure.
“It was tough because kids can be mean. Along with the asthma, I also suffered skin rashes. I’d get teased by the boys, but even worse – my girlfriends would shy away, once the skin disorder took effect,” he sadly recalls. I can recall lying in bed praying to God for the ability to just breathe normally like everyone else.”
Living with asthma as a child, not only hindered Dr. Maat’s aspirations for early athletic prowess, but after high school graduation, a failed military physical exam, likewise stopped his chances to volunteer for the Air Force in efforts to follow his dad’s and older brother’s military careers. His older brother, Newt Smith II, is a retired Air Force officer. In May of 2018, a former Veterans park in Beaver Falls, Pa., was officially re-named the Lt. Calvin Smith Tuskegee Airman Veterans Park.
Void of clear-cut career-goals after graduating from Beaver Falls High School in 1977, Dr. Maat, who never considered himself a committed academician in high school, reflects on a senior-year 1.47 GPA when he needed a 1.5 average to graduate. Having learned techniques for the game of chess from his father, he challenged the high school’s woodshop teacher to a game. If he wins, he graduates high school. If he loses, he repeats another year. Apparently, his Dad’s coaching tips paid-off.
Following his early training at Community College of Beaver County (Pa.)and Community College of Allegheny County (Pa.), Dr. Maat initially worked as a respiratory therapist at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. He quickly developed star-quality studying patterns while attending both at CCBC and CCAC and during his first job as a registered respiratory therapist supervisor at Allegheny General Hospital — a stark contrast from his academic performance in high school.
Studying and practicing in Atlanta resulted in a B.S degree in respiratory care from Georgia State University and post-bachelor’s degree in perfusion technology from Northeastern University in Boston.
While studying and focusing on African spirituality and physics, he attained his Ph.D. in 2000 from the Metaphysical Institute of Higher Learning in San Bernardino, California.
Fast-forward to winter 2020, amid the coronavirus and COVID-19 outbreak, Dr. Maat finds himself in an unprecedented battlefield – on the front-lines of America’s first pandemic in 100 years as a medical professional treating patients suffering from chronic respiratory deficiencies.
With over 40 years of experience and training as a respiratory therapist, and later as a perfusionist, Dr. Maat, during a pandemic, now serves as a highly-sought-after traveling medical practitioner on the frontlines battling COVID-19 in one of the nation’s largest hotspots – Cleveland Clinic/Fort Lauderdale-Miami, Florida.
Helping stem COVID-19’s growing rates among Blacks
Dr. Ahmses working on a ventilator apparatus, while at Clevelan
Clinic, Florida
“While coronavirus patients typically display symptoms requiring oxygen support with symptoms such as chest pains, shortness of breath and muscle aches, the use of external respirators and ventilators are typical devices used to treat respiratory deficiencies,” says Dr. Maat. His perfusionist training requires expertise in administering artificial lungs, hearts and kidneys used during the replacement process of heart-lung bypass surgeries.
“My role as a perfusionist is to keep the patient alive during the replacement of organs, kidneys, lungs, hearts, during the entire operation. Where advanced cardio life-support ends, perfusion life-support begins,” explains Dr. Maat.
Amid current cases of COVID-19 cases rising throughout the United States with disproportionate numbers impacting African Americans, Dr. Maatknows and understands how valuable his knowledge, experience and overall skillsets are during this pandemic.
But the real question that must be answered is why the African American community has suffered more than any other group during the pandemic?
Dr. Maat, now 61, credits the disparaging numbers affecting people of color who generally suffer with lower immune systems. Those are the ones suffering from diabetes, hypertension and obesity. It’s also a fact that too often, black folks don’t eat lots of vegetables and have lived in environments with high toxins like lead-based paints. Although the larger cause is systemic racism and oppression, it exists all throughout the globe including America and the medical industry, unfortunately.” he said.
“Systemically, as a respiratory therapist or clinical perfusionist, I tend to see a system geared toward a certain population facing more social ills. I want to make the world a better place, doing what I do – and my non-African peers they see what’s going on, and they too, want to do the right thing,” he added.
Living in a sports-related environment was challenging
Growing up in sports-enthused Western Pa., specifically in Beaver Falls, “Like all the kids in my 15th Street neighborhood, I wanted to play football, basketball and baseball – and become the next Joe Willie Namath, our hometown hero and Super Bowl III quarterback”, says Dr. Maat.
“Hoops and football couldn’t work for me, but I enjoyed playing baseball. It didn’t demand the intense running like basketball, and it wasn’t dirty and dusty like football. I always had to concern myself with staying healthy at all times –so I always carried my inhaler,” he noted.
In retrospect, Dr. Maat targets his asthma woes with environmental impacts. He lived next door to the now-razed Armstrong Cork plant, which consistently emitted smokey fumes and white, ashy particles from its factory walls. He also lived with two cigarette-smoking parents.
By the time he reached age 12, with the influence of a childhood neighbor, Richard “Dicky” Morris, Dr. Maat started taking Karate lessons from the now infamous Beaver County School of the Oriental Arts of Self-Defense, headed by the family of Willy Wetzel and Roy Wetzel, one of the nation’s first Karate instructional schools, located in Beaver Falls and later, Rochester. In March of 1975, the school closed after a much-reported family battle between son Roy and father, Willy. The older Wetzel died of strangulation, according to published reports.
Aside from the controversial homicide, Dr. Maat says his Karate and Judo experience tremendously impacted his breathing patterns and primarily helped him to overcome childhood asthma.
With a growing reputation of being incredibly skilled in martial arts throughout Beaver County, Dr. Maat was also able to leave behind unfavorable experiences of being bullied by larger upper classmates while in high school.
He likewise credits his mother and Godmother, Marian Jane Taylor, for tending to his crisis situations as a youngster – and later ensuring that he was proficient at self-care, even at a young age. “I was always a mama’s boy,” he admitted. “She was fully committed to my ailment; and would often take-off work early to ensure my medical needs were met – self-care is essential to my health and has always been a part of my proactive healthy lifestyle.” he recalls.
Career and Family development
Dr. Ahmses with Sheree White, a special neighborhod sisterly friend.
While living in Atlanta, he joined an anti-KKK protest march in Forsyth County, Ga. in 1987, led by the late Rev. Hosea Williams, one of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) colleagues, along with SCLC head, the Rev. Joseph Lowery.
“In the late 1980s, when South Africa’s President Nelson Mandela was released from prison – that sparked my interest in the liberation of black people all over the world and to live a more revolutionary lifestyle,” says Dr. Maat.
In explaining his name-change, he says, “It’s similar to when Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The reason for the name-change was based on my culture, I was Sheldon X in 1992 as a member of the Nation of Islam, and in October 1995, I led a medical brigade from LA to Washington, DC, to be a part of the ‘Million Man March.”
Dr. Ahmses Maat is married to Akua Two Hawk Maat, sharing a blended family including four adult children: Alexia, Malika, Mnsa and GyeNyame Maat.
Inland Empire, Calif. – IE-CEEM extends its appreciation to Walmart Inc. for a $20,000 donation to help reduce COVID-19 infection rates among African Americans in the Inland Empire through increased testing, education and outreach,
The funding will support IE-CEEM’s partnership with Riverside University Health System – Public Health to operate a COVID19 testing site at CrossWord Church in Moreno Valley, which successfully administers more than 600 tests weekly in a predominantly African American area.
In addition to its work in reducing COVID-19 infection rates in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, IE-CEEM is developing strategies in concert with its Health Systems partners to address systemic disparities in African American health outcomes. This collaboration will enable IE-CEEM to implement best practice solutions to these known, yet unresolved health challenges. Combined with the leadership support of African American churches and community-based organizations the team is confident the disproportionate impact of the virus on this population will lessen.
“IE-CEEM is dedicated to improving the health, economic/financial, and education outcomes within the African American community by redefining community prosperity and success for our current and future generations,” said IE-CEEM Founder Reggie Webb. We are committed to addressing the disparity and inequity of all areas that impact the success of the African-American community and are determined to establish equity in the pursuit of parity.”
“We are honored to support community organizations working to ensure those impacted by COVID-19 have access to the care they need,” said Walmart Senior Director of Community Relations Javier Angulo. “Organizations like the IE-CEEM are working tirelessly to meet the needs of underserved populations through their deep-rooted community partnerships and commitment to making a difference.”
To learn more about IE-CEEM, go to www.ceem.coop or visit us on social media at @ceemcoop. To join our efforts, send an email to info@ceem-ie.com.
Downtown Crenshaw, the broad coalition that secured the support of over 280 community organizations and leaders, and over 10,000 signatures to stop the sale of the Crenshaw Mall to CIM Group, is hosting a half-day community design workshop as a part of its community-driven process of asking stakeholders what they want in the redevelopment of the iconic Black community asset. Downtown Crenshaw seeks to acquire the Crenshaw Mall to stabilize the existing merchants, and reimagine/redevelop the property using the principles of community wealth building and neighborhood sustainability.
WHAT: Hundreds of mostly Black and Brown residents, merchants and stakeholders, coming together to reimagine a Black community icon. There will be presentations from national and local leaders in urban planning, and breakout sessions.
Dwayne Wyatt, a retired L.A. City Planner, who is a leader in the Downtown Crenshaw project said: “Typically, developers come into communities like Crenshaw with a preconceived plan to make their investors a lot of money and push out and ignore the existing stakeholders. At best their community engagement is performative. Saturday’s workshop will give the community the time and space to discuss what the Crenshaw Mall reimagined as Downtown Crenshaw – a mixed-use center of the Black community – can be that serves the interests of the community.”
“It is time someone asked the people what we actually want and need. And it’s time the community actually be given the chance to make that happen. This Downtown Crenshaw process is about self-determination, collective work and responsibility, and community control,” said Jackie Ryan, past president of the Leimert Park Village Merchants Association.
“There are a lot of big developers out there who are trying to buy our mall and have their bad ideas for our community,” said Damien Goodmon, executive director of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition and, founder of the newly established Liberty Community Land Trust. “They don’t seek to build for the Crenshaw community. They seek to push out our long-time residents and seniors. By the community taking ownership of the process, and eventually the mall itself, we are establishing a new paradigm. The key principle of this effort is community control. The community is going to own the mall at every stage of the process and that begins with planning.”
“The Downtown Crenshaw effort is the most positively transformative community planning process I’ve witnessed in all my years,” said former 8th District City Councilmember Robert Farrell.
Harris, 55, follows Democrat Geraldine Ferraro, in 1984, and Republican Sarah Palin, in 2008, as only the third woman to be chosen as the running mate on a presidential ticket.
In California, she was the first woman, and first Black woman, to serve as the state’s top law enforcement official. She is the first Black woman from California to serve in the US Senate, and second from any state, after Illinois’ Carol Moseley Braun. Harris is also the first person of Indian descent to appear on a presidential ticket.
If Biden defeats President Trump in November, Harris would become the first woman in US history to serve as vice president.
Deacon Floyd James McIver, born on April 19, 1940, in Sanford, North Carolina, passed from this life, and returned to his heavenly home on July 25, 2020. His firm belief in God and his devotion to his family was the center of his life.
Floyd was born to the late Henry Frank McIver and Alice Elizabeth Cross McIver. Floyd was the youngest of four siblings: Bertha Mae, Shirley Viola, and Audrey Lee. Floyd was immersed in the Christian community and accepted Christ at an early age at McQueens Chapel United Methodist Episcopal Church in Sanford, North Carolina. He graduated from W.B. Wicker High School, formally Lee High School, where he was salutatorian of his senior class. After high school, he enrolled in North Carolina Agricultural and Technical (A&T) State University, where he received an academic scholarship and played the trombone in the Aggies marching band. Later he would graduate from San Bernardino Valley College with a degree in business administration.
Floyd James McIver and Joyce McIver (wife)
It was at March Air Force Base in Riverside, CA, where he would meet his love and best friend, Joyce Ann France. On July 21, 1962, in San Bernardino, CA, Floyd married Joyce and was her loving and devoted husband for 58 years. Born to this union were four children: Rhonda, Robin, Rhea, and James. Floyd was a hard-working husband and father. From the very beginning, he dedicated his children to the Lord and raised them to love God and family. He would often say, “Put God first, and everything else will fall into place.”
Floyd began his career in the United States Air Force in 1960 and remained on active duty status until 1964 in the position of Military Police. Immediately following active duty, he joined the Air Force Reserves to continue his service and retired from the military with an honorable discharge in 2000 with the rank of Master Sargent after serving a total of 39 years. He began working at Bethlehem Steel in 1964 and was later employed at Kaiser Steel Mill and retired from California Steel in 2007 as a Logistics Supervisor. His career in the steel industry spanned 42 years. He received many accolades, honors, and recognitions throughout his career.
Floyd was a faithful member of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, San Bernardino, CA, since 1963. In 1985, he became an ordained deacon and served faithfully for 35 years. Floyd loved to sing! He was a former charter member of the Celestial Choir and loved to sing on Men’s Day and Couple’s Sunday. Floyd was characterized as kind, considerate, loving, and wise. Floyd was known as a powerful prayer warrior and spoke on many special occasion programs at the church. Floyd never met a stranger. He loved everyone, and everyone loved him.
His parents and two of his siblings preceded Floyd in death. He is survived by his wife, Joyce; sister, Bertha Sightler, of Cerritos, CA; daughters, Rhonda McIver-Jackson of San Bernardino, CA; Dr. Robin McIver-Brown (Jimmie) of Fontana, CA; Dr. Rhea McIver-Gibbs (Dr. Samuel) of San Bernardino, CA; son, James T.E. McIver (Carlvette) of Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Floyd was a loving grandfather (Papa) to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A host of extended family and friends will honor his memory.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, açaí bowl and raw juice chains, is excited to announce the launch of its order ahead mobile app function. Developed to meet the needs of busy, on-the-go consumers, guests can now get their superfruits super fast with Juice It Up!’s updated app. Juice It Up!’s refreshed mobile app is designed to simplify the entire ordering process, from selecting the ideal product and the nearest location to completing payment. The order-ahead option is currently available systemwide at Juice It Up!’s more than 80 locations across California, New Mexico, Oregon and Texas. In celebration of Juice It Up!’s 25th anniversary, on August 25 Juice It Up! Rewards® members may enjoy a free medium classic smoothie or a limited-edition Old Fashioned Swirl from 2-5 p.m.
The added functionality is part of a mobile app update, with the first version of Juice It Up!’s app made available in January 2019. The highly visual refreshed app, allows users to view Juice It Up!’s full menu complete with product images and nutritional information, place their order, pay, customize a tip if desired, and schedule pickup at their preferred Juice It Up! location. Upon arrival, guests may bypass the line for quick and easy pickup.
“Our goal with the Juice It Up! Rewards® mobile app is to provide a one-stop-shop where guests can rack up the rewards and then easily redeem them, while also taking advantage of added functionality like ordering ahead and skipping the line,” said Natalie Eaglin, Juice It Up! Director of Marketing. “Now in our 25th year of business, our discerning fans count on us to deliver on consistency and convenience, and our mobile app furthers Juice It Up!’s commitment to bringing more value to our guests before they even step foot in our stores.”
Juice It Up! has earned a reputation for serving the best tasting smoothies, blended and fresh raw juices and superfruit bowls. Always ahead of the trends, Juice It Up! designs every menu item focused on equal parts flavor and functionality to offer products that not only taste great, but also support a healthy and active lifestyle. To help guests make educated decisions based on their personal tastes and wellness goals, Juice It Up! is committed to keeping customers informed about the ingredients that go into their juices, bowls and smoothies. And the brand continues to be at the forefront of product innovation to support each guest’s individual definition of wellness.
Eaglin continued, “We realize now, more than ever, that cutting down on wait times means keeping our guests safe and satisfied. We are continuing to provide more personalized and convenient ways to enjoy our menu of functional products, and our mobile app is just one of the steps we’re taking to improve the Juice It Up! experience through technology and innovation.”
The Juice It Up! mobile app can be downloaded for both Apple iOS and Android devices. The free medium classic smoothie will automatically be loaded onto the accounts of all Juice It Up! Rewards® members for redemption on August 25 between 2 and 5 p.m. at participating locations. Visit www.juiceitup.com/rewards for more details about the Juice It Up! rewards program and membership perks.
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media The civil lawsuit Vanessa Bryant filed in February has yet to be litigated in a courtroom to determine who was at fault when her husband, NBA-hall-of-famer Kobe Bryant, and the couple’s 13-year-old daughter, died in a helicopter crash last January. But just as the questioning of potential jurors was scheduled to begin, Berge Zobayan, the brother of pilot Ara Zoboyan, who also died in the crash, asked for a change of venue for the trial — from Los Angeles County to neighboring Orange County. Mrs. Bryant is calling foul.?? ? Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna “GiGi” Bryant died in the tragic helicopter crash. Seven other people, counting the pilot, also passed away in the fatal accident that happened on Jan. 26 in Calabasas, a city about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. ? Vanessa Bryant filed a counter-motion to Berge Zobayan’s bid, in which he asks for the trial relocation, citing the immense popularity of the former Lakers’ star in Los Angeles County. ? “Defendant cannot show that there is any county to which this case may be transferred where the basis for his objection does not exist,” the filing said. “Defendant fails to acknowledge the extent to which Kobe Bryant’s legacy penetrates American culture; there is no county line at which Kobe Bryant’s celebrity suddenly evaporates.” Mrs. Bryant also points out that her family has lived in Orange County for 20 years. ? The deceased Zobayan was the pilot of an Island Express-operated aircraft owned by Island Express Holdings Corp., which is named in the lawsuit. Zobayan allegedly took flight in extreme foggy weather, which investigators say was a factor in the accident. ? The helicopter, a Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky S-76B, was traveling from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Camarillo Airport in Ventura County. The helicopter hit a hillside in Los Angeles County before crashing and bursting into flames. ? Neither a flight data recorder nor a cockpit voice recorder was installed in the aircraft. But Berge Zobayan said Vanessa Bryant is not entitled to compensation, putting the onus on Kobe Bryant, and arguing that the basketball player knew, and agreed to, the risks of traveling by helicopter.? ? Berge Zobayan’s attorneys argue that damages were?“directly caused in full, or in part, by the negligence or fault” of Kobe Bryant. It’s been long reported that Bryant chartered helicopter flights back and forth to games and practice – from near his home in Newport Coast to the Staples Center 51 miles away in El Segundo, where the Lakers played. The day of the crash, Bryant was traveling with his daughter and friends to Thousand Oaks to attend a basketball game at his Mamba Sports Academy. ? “The shock of the accident affected all staff, and management decided that service would be suspended until such time as it was deemed appropriate for staff and customers,” Island Express said in a written statement after the crash. ? Zobayan’s position for a venue change is due to Kobe Bryant’s “personification” of the city of Los Angeles, Zobayan says, maintaining that it would be difficult to seat an unbiased jury of 12 persons. ? There are no special skills or legal knowledge needed to become a juror in California. The state of California only asks that jurors have an open mind, be able to work with prospective peers to make judicial decisions and be impartial. ? “In other words, your decisions must not be influenced by personal feelings and bias,” states California’s “Court and Community: Information and Instructions for Responding to Your Jury Summons,” brochure.? ? “Jury service is the responsibility of all qualified citizens, but also an opportunity for us to participate directly in our system of justice and contribute to our communities,” Hon. Judge Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Chief Justice of California, states in the brochure.? ? Wherever the Bryant v. Island Express Helicopters et al. case ends up taking place, Vanessa Bryant will allege that the pilot, in a manner not in accordance with accepted standards, flew the aircraft under “instrument flight rules,” the court filing states. ? Island Express Helicopters was only regulated to fly under “visual flight rules,” the plaintiffs argue.?Those regulations restrict pilots to only operating an aircraft when they can clearly see ahead of them in flight. ? “Plaintiffs are confident that the voir dire process will yield twelve citizens from Los Angeles County who — when called upon to serve — will uphold their oaths and render a verdict, ‘according only to the evidence presented [and] the instructions of the court,’” Vanessa Bryant’s court filing states. ? The next hearing in the case will be held at Los Angeles Superior Court on August 19.
COVID-19 has gripped national headlines for months. But long before the U.S. outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the country was battling another deadly epidemic: diabetes.
One of the leading causes of death in the United States, the disease claims the lives of more than 83,000 Americans each year. And — much like the COVID-19 — diabetes disproportionately impacts people of color.
That’s why it’s so encouraging that the Trump administration will soon make it easier for millions of diabetic Americans to manage their health. A newly announced proposal would cap the amount of money that Medicare beneficiaries pay out-of-pocket for insulin at $35.
That reform will go a long way towards getting older patients with diabetes the medicines they need to stay healthy — a fact that’s certainly worth celebrating. But it’s only one step toward tackling a health crisis that shows no signs of relenting.
Diabetes doesn’t affect all groups equally. Black Americans are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than whites. Black women are particularly vulnerable — nearly 13 percent of Black women over 18 have the disease, compared with just 7.5 percent of white women.
For many of these patients, staying alive requires rigorous adherence to a medication regimen, including regular injections of insulin.
Unfortunately, these medicines can prove prohibitively expensive. In one recent survey, a quarter of diabetic patients reported using less than the prescribed amount of insulin because of the medicine’s cost.
The persistent wealth and income gap between Americans of color and white Americans means that these financial burdens pose a unique challenge for black patients. Especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inability to afford insulin has only deepened racial inequities that have plagued our nation for decades.
After all, those with diabetes who are unable to manage their disease effectively — a group in which African Americans are overrepresented — are at heightened risk of severe complications from COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control, black Americans account for 23 percent of deaths from the novel coronavirus, despite making up just 13 percent of the population.
Reforms that enable patients of color to better manage their diabetes could vastly reduce such healthcare disparities. We hope that’s precisely what the administration’s newly announced proposal will do.
Under this reform, more than 1,750 Medicare prescription drug plans will cap out-of-pocket costs for a variety of insulin products at $35 a month. That change will take effect next year. This will bring down pharmacy costs for the millions of Medicare seniors with diabetes — including black Americans.
But given the scope of the challenges facing diabetic patients, this reform still represents a modest improvement over the status quo. For systemic change, patients need policies that target the real drivers of high insulin costs.
That begins with the opaque system that brings medicines to pharmacies. Every year, manufacturers provide over $100 billion in rebates and other price reductions on brand name drugs. But supply chain middlemen have pocketed these savings instead of passing them on to patients at the point of sale.
Other drivers abound. Policymakers need to do everything they can to help less advantaged patients afford insulin. And on that measure, the administration’s new Medicare proposal is one step in the right direction.
San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) students in the Class of 2020 faced a number of challenges in the final months of the school year, but despite everything 1,275 graduates earned $10,791,888 in scholarships and grants.
A total of 315 Cajon High School seniors earned $3,163,659, which includes $1.5 million in military academy scholarships and enlistment bonuses. San Gorgonio High School seniors also showed their academic chops with 158 graduates earned $2,564,023 in scholarships, including more than $880,000 in military scholarships and enlistment bonuses.
A full 100% of Middle College High School‘s 62 graduates earned $930,032 in scholarships and grants. Of Arroyo Valley High School‘s 571 graduates, 308 earned $1,504,032 in scholarships and grants, and 203 of San Bernardino High School‘s 271 graduates earned $1,738,328 in scholarships and grants.
Rounding out the scholarship and grant numbers are $32,382 earned by 29 Indian Springs High School graduates, $719,132 earned by 135 Pacific High School graduates, $108,825 earned by 49 San Andreas High School graduates, $8,025 earned by 8 Sierra High School graduates, and $23,450 earned by 8 Inland Career Education Center graduates.
“I’m proud of the amazing Class of 2020. The graduates have worked very hard for every one of those scholarships,” said Executive Director of Community Engagement Ginger Ontiveros. “I’m also proud of our District for creating systems specifically designed to support our outstanding graduates in their pursuit of higher education. The District’s Making Hope Happen Foundation awards $3,000 mentor-supported college scholarships to approximately 100 graduates each year. The District also has a long-standing partnership with the non-profit San Bernardino Community Scholarship Association, which coordinates local donors who have created scholarships just for SBCUSD graduates.”
For more information or to donate to the Making Hope Happen Foundation, visit https://makinghope.org/. To create your own scholarship or donate to one of the many existing Association-managed scholarships, contact Susan Zavala, Communications/Community Relations Department secretary, at susan.zavala@sbcusd.k12.ca.us.
Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
