Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Woman Eats Her Child's Brain? Mental Health and Criminal Justice Systems Failed Her

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

This week, a woman in Texas cut off the head of her three week old baby and ate part of his brain. What’s even more shocking about this terrible story is that she won’t get any jail time for it.

Otty Sanchez, a 34-year old, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of her child, Scott Wesley Buchholz-Sanchez. Prosecutors accepted the plea deal after learning that the woman thought that the devil made her kill her child.

The baby was found in a bedroom with three of his toes chewed off, his head severed and his brain ripped out. Police are saying that the child’s mother ate the boy’s toes and a piece of the brain before stabbing herself in the chest and throat. In the 911 call made by her sister, Sanchez can be heard in the background screaming, “I didn't wanna do it! He told me to!"

click to read




Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Prof. Boyce Watkins: Nushawn Williams: Infected Women with HIV - Set to be Released from Prison

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

You may not know the name Nushawn Williams, but it's probably a name you need to know. You would especially want your daughter to know his name, as well as anyone else in the community who has reason to fear a more disturbing style of sexual predator for the new millenium.


Williams is in prison right now for knowingly infecting women with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. His victims were as young as 13 years old, and authorities believe he may have infected as many as 50 women prior to going to state prison in 1998. Police are working to keep Williams behind bars because they fear what might happen if he is released to the American public.
"He is prone to further sexual contact with underage individuals because of deficits in his emotional capacity to understand why this is wrong and attitudes that support these types of exploitive encounters. His emotional callousness, lack of remorse and impulsivity undermine important internal mechanisms for managing his sexual behavior," said examiner Jacob E. Hadden from the New York State Office of Mental Health. Authorities have determined that Williams suffers from a mental health abnormality that makes him incapable of understanding why his actions are wrong or harmful.


The possible release of Williams reminds us of the urgency of managing the public health alarm called HIV infection. African Americans are taking the lead in HIV infection rates, and what is also true is that the experience in our community is nothing less than a precursor to what is eventually going to happen all throughout America. What is most frightening about the case of Nushawn Williams is that he is probably not the only person deliberately spreading the disease: there are likely women and other men doing the same thing. To make matters worse, there are many in our community (and others) who are being incredibly irresponsible with their sexual behavior and infecting scores of people in the process.


As I felt empathy for celebrities like Magic Johnson and Eazy-E for their battles with HIV/AIDS, I wondered how many of us thought about the long list of partners they infected before finally getting their own positive test results. Did you ever think about the fact that many of those people are out in the community right now, quite a few of whom may have taken years to become aware of their HIV positive status? This is scary indeed, so the truth is that to protect yourself from the silent community killer, a general strategy of protection must be put into play.

 

Click to read




Monday, March 22, 2010

Black News: List of Democrats Who Voted Against the Health Care Reform Bill

Democrats who voted against the health care bill included the following Congressmen and Congresswomen:

Rep. John Adler (N.J.)
Rep. Jason Altmire (Pa.)
Rep. Michael Arcuri (N.Y.)
Rep. John Barrow (Ga.)
Rep. Marion Berry (Ark.)
Rep. Dan Boren (Okla.)
Rep. Rick Boucher (Va.)
Rep. Bobby Bright (Ala.)
Rep. Ben Chandler (Ky.)
Rep. Travis Childers (Miss.)
Rep. Artur Davis (Ala.)
Rep. Lincoln Davis (Tenn.)
Rep. Chet Edwards (Texas)
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (S.D.)
Rep. Tim Holden (Pa.)
Rep. Larry Kissell (N.C.)
Rep. Frank Kratovil (Md.)
Rep. Dan Lipinski (Ill.)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (Mass.)
Rep. Jim Marshall (Ga.)
Rep. Jim Matheson (Utah)
Rep. Mike McIntyre (N.C.)
Rep. Mike McMahon (N.Y.)
Rep. Charlie Melancon (La.)
Rep. Walt Minnick (Idaho)
Rep. Glenn Nye (Va.)
Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.)
Rep. Mike Ross (Ark.)
Rep. Heath Shuler (N.C.)
Rep. Ike Skelton (Mo.)
Rep. Zack Space (Ohio)
Rep. John Tanner (Tenn.)
Rep. Gene Taylor (Miss.)
Rep. Harry Teague (N.M.)




Sunday, March 14, 2010

Black Health News - 3/15/10


  • Obama delays Asia trip to deal with health care

    Obama delays Asia trip to deal with health care

    By theGrio

    10:06 AM on 03/12/2010

    WASHINGTON (AP) - President Obama has delayed his first international trip of the year to focus attention on the final push to salvage his health care legislation...

    > READ MORE

  • Too many Tigers, not enough Trojans

    Too many Tigers, not enough Trojans

    By Dr. Janet Taylor

    7:05 AM on 03/12/2010

    OPINION - What's notable is reportedly not only did Woods not wear a condom, but his partner's didn't insist upon it...

    > READ MORE

  • How black women can combat genital herpes crisis

    How black women can combat genital herpes crisis

    By Dr. Janet Taylor

    10:42 AM on 03/11/2010

    OPINION - According the Center for Disease Control nearly half of all African-American women are infected with the HSV-2 virus...

    > READ MORE

  • New studies reveal the urgency of first lady's obesity fight

    New studies reveal the urgency of first lady's obesity fight

    By Janice K. Bryant

    8:44 AM on 03/10/2010

    Risk factors leading to higher rates of obesity begin as early as pregnancy, especially among African-American and Hispanic children...

    > READ MORE

  • Alzheimer's cases rising among blacks, Hispanics

    Alzheimer's cases rising among blacks, Hispanics

    By theGrio

    5:07 PM on 03/09/2010

    VIDEO - It's an increase in Alzheimer's cases at a time when heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer deaths are all going down...

    > READ MORE

  • 10-year-old becomes health care reform lobbyist

    10-year-old becomes health care reform lobbyist

    By theGrio

    3:44 PM on 03/09/2010

    VIDEO - Marcelas Owens has been campaigning for changes in the health care system since his mother died after she fell ill and lost her job and her insurance...

    > READ MORE




  • Saturday, February 27, 2010

    Shortage of Doctors?

    I did an appearance last night on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss the issue of Health care reform. This has been heavy on the mind of our president for his entire first year in office and has led to quite a few political battles on Capitol Hill. Health care is in serious jeopardy, as the cost of entitlement programs such as Medicaid/Medicare and Social Security threaten our nation's economic security. Our national debt has risen to unprecedented and frightening levels, and our politicians have little incentive to do anything about it.
    One additional problem that we are running into on the issue of health care is the fact that our nation doesn't have enough Primary Care physicians. These doctors are incredibly important, since they are the first line of defense against illness in America.
    Over the next 10 years, our nation is expected to have a shortfall of 40,000 Primary Care doctors. By 2025, that number is expected to balloon to over 120,000. To make matters worse, our population is aging, implying that there will be a greater demand for these doctors in the future.

    Click to read.

    Sunday, February 14, 2010

    The Latest in Black Health – 2/14/10


  • First lady launches 'Let's Move' effort against childhood obesity

    First lady launches 'Let's Move' effort against childhood obesity

    By theGrio

    9:35 AM on 02/09/2010

    WASHINGTON (AP) - Michelle Obama says she loves burgers and fries, but she wants her daughters -- and the rest of America's children -- to learn about better nutrition...

    > MORE

  • Bad malaria pills in Africa raise resistance fears

    Bad malaria pills in Africa raise resistance fears

    By theGrio

    10:06 AM on 02/08/2010

    High rates of the most effective type of malaria-fighting drugs sold in three African countries are poor quality...

    > MORE

  • Denver boy, 9, died after state-benefits error denied him asthma medication

    By theGrio

    5:04 PM on 02/04/2010

    A Montbello mother says her 9-year-old son's death from severe asthma could have been prevented had Denver Human Services resolved problems with his Medicaid pharmacy benefits...

    > MORE

  • Among black girls, challenges of fighting obesity go beyond diet

    Among black girls, challenges of fighting obesity go beyond diet

    By theGrio

    9:02 AM on 02/01/2010

    CHICAGO (AP) - Like nearly one-third of American teens, Paris Woods is overweight. Her doctor worries her weight will creep up into the obesity range. One out of four black girls her age is obese.

    > MORE

  • Obese African-Americans at higher risk of stroke

    By theGrio

    11:21 AM on 01/22/2010

    Obesity raises the risk of stroke regardless of race or sex, according to a new study that is one of the first to show a link between obesity and stroke risk in blacks...

    > MORE

  • Cancer victim sheds light on bone marrow donor crisis

    Cancer victim sheds light on bone marrow donor crisis

    By Todd Johnson

    1:07 PM on 01/13/2010

    VIDEO - Seun Adebiyi is proud of his many accomplishments -- graduating from Yale Law School, working for Goldman Sachs and even training for the 2014 Winter Olympics...

    > MORE

  • Hepatitis B and C often ignored as health threat to blacks

    Hepatitis B and C often ignored as health threat to blacks

    By theGrio

    12:26 PM on 01/11/2010

    WASHINGTON (AP) - They're the overlooked viruses: Hepatitis B and C together infect three to five times more Americans than the AIDS virus does, and most don't know it...

    > MORE

  • KFC pulls Australian ad over US racism complaints

    KFC pulls Australian ad over US racism complaints

    By theGrio

    11:51 AM on 01/08/2010

    CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Fast food giant KFC has pulled an Australian television advertisement after it was branded racist in the United States...

    > MORE

  • 7 ways to keep your resolution to work out

    7 ways to keep your resolution to work out

    By Dr. Jeff Gardere

    8:18 AM on 01/05/2010

    OPINION - There are many strategies and techniques to following through on your resolution of joining and actually working out in the gym on a long-term and regular basis.

    > MORE

  • Tiny newborn girl may break world record

    Tiny newborn girl may break world record

    By theGrio

    9:29 AM on 12/22/2009

    VIDEO - A little girl born in Mobile, Alabama may be the world's tiniest baby...

    > MORE

  • NBA star's wife uses baby to exercise

    NBA star's wife uses baby to exercise

    By theGrio

    11:19 AM on 12/11/2009

    VIDEO - Jamison knows a little something about shedding baby weight. The wife of the Washington Wizards superstar gave birth to her third child, Rucker King...

    > MORE

  • Dr. Fleming lives with sickle cell disease and no boundaries

    Dr. Fleming lives with sickle cell disease and no boundaries

    By theGrio

    1:14 PM on 12/10/2009

    VIDEO - Dr. Lester Fleming is learning to be a pilot --something he once thought would never be possible. Fleming was born with sickle cell disease, a red blood cell deficiency...

    > MORE

  • Monday, February 8, 2010

    Black News: Michael Jackson’s Doctor Pleads Not Guilty

    Dr. Conrad Murray arrives for his arraignment of at the Airport Los Angeles Courthouse today

    Hours after Dr. Conrad Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Michael Jackson's 2009 death, the embattled physician pleaded not guilty Monday afternoon (February 8) during an arraignment hearing at a Los Angeles courthouse, according to The Associated Press.

    Murray's bail was set at $75,000, three times greater than the bail usually set for such crimes. Without being handcuffed, Murray was then taken into custody for booking. He must surrender his passport, allowing him to travel within the United States but not out of the country. Prosecutors had been seeking bail of $300,000, but Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz rejected that amount. The involuntary-manslaughter charge carries a maximum jail sentence of four years.

     

    Click to read.

    Thursday, January 7, 2010

    Yale Law Graduate and Olympian Writes about Bone Marrow Transplant

    seun

    From Seun Adbiyi At The Huffington Post

    As a 26 year-old African-American, I don’t know which is more difficult: trying to make history as the first Nigerian delegate in the Winter Olympics, or finding a donor for a bone marrow transplant.

    In June 2009, just days after graduating from Yale Law School, I was diagnosed with two rare and aggressive forms of cancer: lymphoblastic lymphoma and stem-cell leukemia. Instead of a grueling Olympic training regimen for the skeleton — an 80 mph headfirst plunge down a mile-long ice chute — I underwent an equally grueling cycle of high dose chemotherapy during a seven-week hospital stay at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

    Click to read.

    News: Sex is Good for You

    To paraphrase a great old slogan for Guinness beer: Sex isn’t just good, it’s good for you!

    Okay, so maybe there’s some wishful thinking going on — the science isn’t exactly iron-clad — but evidence is accumulating that the more sex you have, the better off you are.

    There is one caveat, though. “We do not have good data to show a direct connection [to all-around good health]," says Jennifer Bass, the head of information services at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction in Bloomington, Ind. "We know that healthier people have more sexual activity. But we do not know which comes first. Does the good health make you more willing to have sex, or does the sex have a positive impact?”

    And you dirty girrrls and Don Juans should know that the assumed health benefits of sex are generally thought to accrue to people in loving, monogamous relationships or those flying solo. Risky sex with lots of partners will probably do more harm than good.

     

    Click to read.