Delving into health disparities in Durham
Duke University has a beautiful campus full of relatively healthy students, staff and faculty. Our community, Durham, is not as healthy. The HIV rate is nearly double the North Carolina rate; the rate among African Americans is eight times that of European Americans. The pregnancy rate for girls under age 17 is significantly higher than the state average. Our community has high rates of every sexually transmitted disease, including syphilis and gonorrhea. Our state also bears a huge burden from chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and mental disorders, and we received a grade of 'D-plus' from the National Alliance on Mental Illness for mental health services. Finally, one fifth of Durham adults do not have health insurance.