At the beginning of every month, OMH-RC posts ideas that you might like to follow up on for stories. Also see Press Releases.

1. Controlling Cancer Pain. Research suggests that many cancer patients are reluctant to report their pain. Barriers to adequate pain management include lack of proper assessment by health professionals, poor communication between patients and providers, and patients' fear of speaking up to seek help.

   Questions worth exploring for readers: How does culture and race influence the expression of pain? Does pain medication affect various racial and ethnic groups differently? How can doctors assess in minority populations better? What do cancer patients need to know to better communicate with their health provider? Check out "Studies Explore Patient, Physician Perspectives on Treating Pain Effectively", an article on page 6 in our August 2000 Closing the Gap on cancer http://www.omhrc.gov/OMH/WhatsNew/2pgwhatsnew/Closing.htm.

2. Depression in older minorities. More than two million of the 34 million Americans aged 65 and older suffer from some form of depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health. But statistics also show that more than 50 percent of the time, physicians miss or misdiagnose depression in older adults.

   Questions worth exploring for readers: What do doctors need to know to better distinguish depression from other illnesses in elderly people such as stroke? What cultural factors can make certain racial and ethnic groups less likely to talk about depressive symptoms with their doctor? What life factors in elderly people can contribute to depression? Check out "Recognizing and Treating Depression in Older Adults" on page 12 in our May 2000 Closing the Gap on aging http://www.omhrc.gov/ctg/ctg_aging2.pdf.

3. Getting tested for HIV. Between 650,000 to 900,000 Americans are living with HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But an estimated one in three don't know they are infected and can unknowingly spread the disease.

   Some questions worth exploring for readers: What keeps people from getting tested and what's being done about it? Are there cultural barriers to getting tested for HIV? How does one go about getting tested and what does it involve?

4. New draft standards on cultural competency. The Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, released 14 draft standards on cultural competency in December, 1999. The standards, part of the OMH-funded Cultural and Linguistic Competence Standards and Research Agenda Project, support a more uniform approach to cultural competency practice.

   Some questions worth exploring for readers: How does cultural competency impact quality of health care? What do various health organizations do now when it comes to cultural competency? How will recommended standards on cultural competency affect their approach to care? For good background material on this subject, access our Closing the Gap newsletter on cultural competency, January 2000.