6 BOCNEWS.com JULY 2018 G.E.D. TRAINING ENROLL TODAY! SOLID ROCK HELPING HANDS GED Training Program Call and Enroll Today! Monday and Thursday, 6:30 - 8:00pm. 7 - Month program: April, May, June, September, October, and November. 1. All the basic subject areas needed to prepare you to pass the test and earn your GED. 2. Individually based, "one on one" Instruction. 3. Personally, developed lesson plans to "meet you where you are " 4. Practice tests given / Director: Rev. J. Jenkins SOLID ROCK BAPTIST CHURCH 3520 E. 28TH AVE, DENVER 80205 303-941-1481 "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and for- get not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." Igrew up in a large family in the Denver Metro area. I am the oldest child in a family of eleven children. I have vivid memories of growing up in this situation. We had many hardships and deprivations. I remember how hard it was growing up in a crowded household. I remember the shame of growing up with vermin infestations such as numerous roaches and mice. I have vivid memories of coming home from school and finding out that in the dead of winter, our electricity had been cut off as my parents could not pay the electric bill. I learned to be grateful for whatever I could find to eat and which my mother was able to prepare. I reached the conclusion early in my childhood that we were poor. I also learned to accept things as they were, and without any adult telling me, I and my ten siblings and my parents were going to have to be resilient and roll with the punches as the situation required. That does not mean I was happy with the situation. I had to live as best as I could given the circumstances. I do remember that we were the poorest family in our neigh- borhood, but we came through by the grace of God. It is sad to look back now and think that we were not the only ones living in poverty, both in my community and in the world. However, what truly amazes me now is that we remained surpris- ingly healthy. God sustained us and placed a hedge around us! It is not always this way. I can say this now, because in the world today there is a firm link between poverty and disease. I know now that if you are poor, you are more prone to be sick. To quote a university professor, "socioeconomic status is the most powerful predic- tor of disease, disorder, injury and mortality we have." In other words, if you are poor you can expect to have a lower life expectancy due to illness; Impoverished adults live seven to eight years less. Discrepancies in life span grow more significantly when race enters the equation. Then one group may live as long as 14 years more than the other with whites living longer than blacks and Hispanics. Poverty can make you sicker than someone who is not poor! Now I find that unaccept- able. In addition there is intervention needed. Just imagine someone who has dia- betes and is poor. Because you are poor you first of all may not even know that you have diabetes for years! This is because you may have poorer access to medical care. By the time you go to a doctor you may already have some visual loss, pain in your feet due to neuropathy, kidney failure, or you may have already had a stroke or heart attack! You may have trouble being able to afford medication used to treat diabe- tes, especially some of the newer more expensive medications. Think about attempts although perhaps uninten- tional make it harder for people to just get health care coverage. Just under- stand that of all industrialized nations such as in Europe, Scandinavia, Britain and Canada in no place is medical care as expensive as it is in our own country. That is a deadly situ- ation, that can lead to much unneces- sary pain and suffering. A poor mother may go to a clinic to be told that she has high blood pressure and that she needs to take medication, eat a healthier diet and go out to walk to get exercise. She has two jobs to support two children. She may live in a neighborhood unsafe to walk in, and her neighborhood has numerous fast food places and no grocery store. How can you expect her to do what you are asking her to do? Just imagine if one of her children has asthma and is exposed to automobile exhaust! That means more expenses and doctor visits. She can not afford to do this! We need to create a plan to help those who are poor can also get the type of medical care for themselves and their children and even their senior citizens. We need to help moth- ers with child care, care for senior citi- zens, plans to get needed vaccinations and needed medical services. Maybe we need to change zoning regulations so we do not end up with a harmful cluster of fast food restaurants and no grocery stores. We need to place outpatient clinics in more accessible locations and do all we can to make hospitalizations unnecessary. We need to do all we can to make medical care more affordable. We need to do all we can to educate people on how to live a healthier lifestyle and consider their social and economic situation. I do not pretend to have all the solu- tions to our problems, but I would make a plea that we consider the socioeconomic interaction between poverty and illness. May God bless us in our endeavors Poverty and Illness Dr. Conner By Byron E. Conner, M.D. HEALTH In other words, if you are poor you can expect to have a lower life expectancy due to illness; Impoverished adults live seven to eight years less.