Lead by Purnima Bhat
The city of Birmingham in Alabama has a population of nearly 200,000 and is the hub of the Greater
Birmingham Region that hosts about 1.1 million. About 25% of the population (50K out of 200K people)
live below the poverty line, which is twice the national average of 12.6%. Below are some of the striking
statistics for the inner-city population for 2020, which shout out at us that something needs to be done.
Source: City health Dashboard (https://www.cityhealthdashboard.com/AL/Birmingham/city-
overview?metricId=37&dataPeriod=2015
About 38.5 breast cancer deaths/100,000 women, compared to 23.6 per 100,000 across the Dashboard's cities
(2020).
An estimated 343.6 heart disease deaths/100,000 population, compared to average 211.5 per 100,000 population
across the Dashboard's cities (2020).
An estimated 22.6 colorectal cancer deaths/ 100,000 population, compared to an average of 14.9 /100,000 population
across the Dashboard's cities (2020)
An estimated 17.6% of adults report having diabetes, versus to an average of 10% across the Dashboard's cities
(2021).
An estimated 45.1 firearm homicides/100,000 population, compared to an average of 7.8/100,000 population across
the Dashboard's cities (2020)
An estimated 11.4 firearm suicides/100,000 population, compared to an average of 7.3/100,000 population across
the Dashboard's cities (2020).
Birmingham had an estimated 20.1% of adults report frequent mental distress, compared to an average
of 16.3% across the Dashboard's cities (2021).
An estimated 14.6% of adults report frequent physical distress, compared to an average of 10.9% across the
Dashboard's cities (2021).
Birmingham had an estimated 45.6% of adults report high blood pressure, compared to an average of 29.3% across
the Dashboard's cities (2021).
An estimated life expectancy at birth of 72.4 years, compared to an average of 78.9 across the Dashboard's cities
(2015).
An estimated 12.8% of live births that were low birthweight, compared to an average of 8.7% across the Dashboard's
cities (2020).
An estimated 44.9% of adults with obesity, compared to an average of 32.3% across the Dashboard's cities (2021).
An estimated 19,100 years of potential life lost per 100,000 population, compared to an average of 7,759.4 per
100,000 population across the Dashboard's cities (2020).
An estimated 58.8% of households with high speed broadband internet, compared to an average of 75.8% across the
Dashboard's cities (2021).
An estimated 40.7% of children in poverty, compared to an average of 16.9% across the Dashboard's cities (2021).
An estimated income inequality score of -32.7 (out of +/-100), compared to an average of -2 across the Dashboard's
cities (2021).
An estimated neighborhood racial/ethnic segregation score of 34 (out of 100), compared to an average of 11.1 across
the Dashboard's cities (2021).
An estimated average reading test score of 0.6 among public school third graders, compared to the national average
of 3 (for 3rd grade level) (2018).
An estimated 8% of its labor force who were unemployed, compared to an average of 5.8% across the Dashboard's
cities (2021).
An estimated average ozone concentration of 29 ppb, compared to an average of 27.2 ppb across the Dashboard's
cities (2022).
An estimated average fine particulate matter concentration of 8.9 μg/m3, compared to an average of 9.7 μg/m3 across
the Dashboard's cities (2022).
An estimated 25.3% of housing with potential elevated lead risk, compared to an average of 18.1% across the
Dashboard's cities (2021).
An estimated lead exposure risk index score of 9 (out of 10), compared to an average of 5.5 across the Dashboard's
cities (2021).
An estimated 54.3% of adults report visiting a dentist, compared to an average of 63.2% across the Dashboard's
cities ((2020).
An estimated 66% of births for which prenatal care began in the first trimester, compared to an average
of 77.8% across the Dashboard's cities (2020).
An estimated 35.8% of adults aged 65+ report receiving preventive services, compared to an average
of 39.1% across the Dashboard's cities (2020).
An estimated 78.8% of adults report visiting a doctor for a routine checkup, compared to an average of 70.5% across
the Dashboard's cities (2021).
An estimated 15.1% of the population less than 65 years old who were uninsured, compared to an average
of 9.6% across the Dashboard's cities (2021).
Bhm through UAB and its hospitals o3ers one of the best healthcare systems in the US. The
doctors are excellent/world-class with very high-quality expertise and bed-side manners,
UAB students (medical and undergraduates) are some of the best in the nation, and the
population of Bhm is diverse, helpful and friendly.
Those who need healthcare in inner city and rural communities are also the ones with less
resources and knowledge. They tend to leave their medical conditions unattended leading
to a chronic state. They also fail to seek help for preventive care and or early on when the
diseases set in. Unfortunately, the problem is not one-sided at all: medical help is not
readily available in such communities. How can we mitigate this problem?
The goal is to promote healthcare in the inner-city communities in Bhm through
collaboration with UAB and other local hospitals, involving local civic foundations and non-
profit groups. Once the Bhm plan is put in place, it will be extended to nearby rural
communities involving telemedicine.
This plan with Purnima Bhat as principal, will involve “adopting” families from inner city
communities (and rural communities) targeting those with limited resources and
knowledge/awareness of healthcare through help from local civic and non-profit
foundations. Members of ICR-TMED will take the lead, will volunteer, and adopt one family
(to begin with) and serve as a link to healthcare by regular check-ins and whenever a need
arises, help reaching out to healthcare providers. We also help them by enhancing their
knowledge base, especially about preventive care and life-style changes by talking with
them and providing resources such as reading materials, organize workshops, answer their
questions to the best of our abilities, etc.
If our initial “experiment” become successful, we will explore extending this program to
UAB and other medical schools where each medical student would “adopt” a family and
serve as a link to their healthcare. This can be part of their medical school curriculum or a
volunteer program. We will also discuss this idea with the American Medical Association to
get their feedback and recommendations.