California Health Professional Student Alliance (CaHPSA)

Healthcare disparities persist due to systemic barriers such as socioeconomic inequality, discrimination, and limited access to care. This proposal emphasizes the need for local, state, and national reforms to address these inequities by prioritizing targeted policies and sustained efforts to ensure equal healthcare opportunities for all. The proposed solution mandates a medical equity course for all individuals enrolled in a graduate level healthcare institution. Key features on the course include: cultural competence, communication skills, historical context, and structural and social determinants. Included in the course are next steps given successful implantation and results. Fiscal impact will be different for various institutions, with an option to petition for state funding. The implementation of this course fosters respect for different communities within future healthcare providers. 

Medical expenses constitute a majority of United States citizens’ financial concerns, with four in ten adults reporting debt due to medical or dental bills. Billing is at the heart of the unease surrounding medical expenses. Healthcare facilities often surprise their patients with hidden fees and additional costs, leading to 1 in 5 individuals receiving a hospital bill they either do not agree with or cannot afford. The lack of transparency within the healthcare sphere regarding the costs of treatments and services continues to contribute to a lack of healthcare affordability within the United States. This proposal mandates government-funded healthcare facilities to provide a document that lists the costs of all treatments and services offered in that facility. This document should be presented to the patient before treatment, in non-emergency situations. This can mitigate the effects of surprise billings by government-operated facilities to ensure healthcare affordability and cost transparency.

The prevalence of opioid use disorder and overdose is continually growing on college campuses. Unfortunately, most university staff are not properly equipped to handle this reality. This can lead to devastating impacts to university students, staff, and families. Reality is, staff members need to be equipped to help and manage students in life threatening situations related to opioid use. This proposal aims to directly tackle this issue through a mandated drug overdose response procedure certification. This would be a requirement for university resident assistants, RAs, and security staff. This would be a requirement for public universities and staff would take the course during the onboarding process with a yearly review course. A solution like this can save many lives and allow for a safer campus that will further academic and personal success. The proposal will require funding for curriculum building, reimbursement for staff that undergo the training, and purchase of naloxone kits.

Regenerative medicine, otherwise known as tissue engineering, focuses on the repair and regeneration of cells, tissues, and organs using cellular therapies, stem cells, and foreign biological material. This paper explores a variety of advancements in regenerative medicine, including treatments like Lantidra for Type 1 diabetes, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy for tissue repair, and umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplants for hematologic conditions.  The research reviewed includes studies and clinical trials that highlight the efficacy, applications, and underlying challenges of these innovative therapies. Within our sources, the research includes FDA-approved treatments, clinical outcomes from UCB transplants, and the budding role of PRP in regenerative medicine.  Although the paper highlights the importance of these up-and-coming treatments, ethical considerations and accessibility issues related to these treatments are noted as well.  Lantidra, the first FDA approved allogeneic pancreatic islet cell therapy, for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, has demonstrated significant potential in reducing or eliminating insulin dependency in Type 1 diabetes patients [2]. PRP therapy has proven effective in thorough acceleration of tissue repair in sports and chronic injuries, as well as cosmetic procedures. [3]. UCB transplants offer promising alternatives for patients with no suitable bone marrow donors, though challenges in immune reconstitution, side effects, and equitable access to these transplants remain.  While regenerative medicine therapies provide promising treatments to chronic diseases and promote tissue repair, all challenges and consequences including accessibility, cost, and ethical concerns must be thoroughly examined prior to implementation into present-day medicine. Continued research and policy development are crucial to expanding the benefits of these treatments worldwide. 

This literature review examines the progressive issue of proliferating pharmaceutical prices, focusing on the challenges posed by off-patent, life-saving medications. We address the impact of monopolistic pricing strategies, specifically prices of medications distributed by private pharmaceutical companies, the ethical responsibility of ensuring access to necessary medicines, and the role of government regulations in the pricings of pharmaceutical products. Our paper highlights the need for effective and equitable policies to regulate pricing, including the involvement of pharmaceutical benefit managers, and the potential for reform through governmental intervention to ensure equal access to affordable medications.

This paper explores current advancements in Alzheimer's disease (AD) care, treatment, and accessibility, and what improvements can be made on existing establishments of care and remedy.  We examine present-day advances in optogenetics, retinal imaging, and biomarker research, as well as the implications of emerging drugs like Donanemab. Furthermore, it addresses the progressive and costly burden of Alzheimer’s care, whilst also examining the underlying social and systemic challenges. Through a thorough discussion of these developments and advancements, our paper proposes strategies for improving access to care, amplifying early detection and intervention, and supporting policy reforms to alleviate the stress on patients and their families, as well as caregivers and healthcare systems.

Maternal mortality rates within the United States have reached an all-time high.  Annually, nearly seven hundred women die from pregnancy-related complications, a number of which were highly preventable.  When taking a closer look at these statistics, these deaths disproportionately affect Native American and African American women, making them two to three times more likely to suffer from poorer pregnancy outcomes.  This paper examines the variety of factors that contribute to such a disproportionate maternal mortality rate, including geographic differences, racial and economic inequalities, and the accessibility of healthcare.  Despite attempts to fix these issues, systemic and intrinsic issues persist, and individuals continue to suffer.  This paper highlights the need to address maternal mortality disparities that affect marginalized groups, improved accessibility to healthcare for all, and overall policy reform in order to solve this issue indefinitely.

In our paper, we encompass the topic of socioeconomic disparities intrinsic to drug pricing and look at ways to ensure that every individual in the United States can access antibiotics equally and equitably. In the United States, a multitude of individuals find themselves struggling with high, out-of-pocket costs for necessary antibiotics or medications.  These issues are generally caused by factors surrounding monopolistic drug markets, high costs for development, and the severity of disease that an individual is facing. We explore these challenges from a plethora of perspectives, such as; the role of specialty pharmacies, limited distribution networks, and the usage of psychotropic medications among youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). High prices and restricted access of certain antibiotics for conditions like Hepatitis C highlight the systemic and intrinsic issues within the pharmaceutical industry and how it affects individuals who suffer from this disease or diseases similar to it. On a similar topic to that, ongoing shortages of ADHD medications continue to show the consistent and heavy impact of supply constraints amongst the pharmaceutical industry in the United States. We discuss potential solutions, including but not limited to, accelerating the approval of basic drugs, implementing ceiling prices to prevent high costs, and better integrating health-system specialty pharmacies. By concentrating on the need for policy reforms within the United States and collaboration amongst the various stakeholders that remain involved with drug pricing disparities, this study aims to offer a varied approach in reducing drug pricing disparities and making necessary medications accessible to every individual in the United States, regardless of socioeconomic or health status.

The issue of climate change is persistent, and its effects on the general population as a whole are imminent.  Climate change affects everything, from our health, to economies, and even the way we live together as a society.  The paper outlines the profound, yet intricate impacts that climate change has brought upon healthcare, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals living with these rapid environmental shifts.  It goes into detail in regards to the mental and physical health implications, the disproportionate effects on the most vulnerable communities, and the overall increasing pressure building on these healthcare industries.  Urgent and adaptive strategies are a necessity for healthcare to effectively combat climate change and its impact on the world as a whole.

This paper goes into depth regarding the prevalent issue of healthcare affordability in modern-day America. Our research explores the substantial impact of emergency and prolonged medical care expenses on diverse American families, particularly those in rural areas or those struggling financially. Beyond numerical analyses, we navigate the landscape of healthcare billing, questioning the complexity behind understanding medical expenses. Furthermore, we examine recent legislative measures, such as the No Surprise Act, to unravel their implications for individuals struggling with the burden of expensive medical bills. Our study is able to intertwine the facets of health insurance, healthcare costs, and accessibility, whilst focusing on their intersectionality with race and ethnicity. Through the examination of empirical evidence and well-examined studies, this paper advocates for an equitable and transparent healthcare system, envisioning a future where quality healthcare is accessible to all without the worry of financial issues.