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In recent years, men’s health has come to the forefront for many health care providers. Denver Health has been a leading force in promoting and providing men’s health care by establishing an Office of Men’s Health.
On average, men in Colorado die almost four and a half years younger than women. The average life expectancy of African-American males is six and a half years less than the average Colorado life expectancy, while Hispanic males die almost three and a half years earlier than the average.
The leading cause of death among Colorado men is heart disease. Death rates from heart disease, prostate cancer, and colon cancer are higher for African-American men than other racial and ethnic groups in Colorado.
Men’s health concerns range from heart disease to prostrate cancer to depression and mental health. Denver Health provides quality care in all these areas, as well as many others, but male patients need to be seen by health care practitioners to receive care. Studies show that men are less likely than women to visit the doctor for annual check-ups and preventive care.
As a result, in 2002, Denver Health’s Office of Men’s Health launched a Men’s Health Initiative (MHI), funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The program goals are to increase access to, and affordability of, health care for Denver’s underserved men; to reduce health disparities and improve seamlessness of care; to inform, elicit, and support local, state, and federal policies for men’s health; and to expand health insurance coverage for poor, disenfranchised, and uninsured working men.
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Studies have found that nearly 25 percent of Denver men do not have any health care coverage, and one-third of men in Denver live in households with an annual income of less than $25,000.
Denver Health’s Office of Men’s Health research indicates that social, economic, and environmental conditions are related to health disparities. Underserved men and men of color often encounter barriers to accessing the health care system. Immigrant men, non-custodial fathers, gay men, previously incarcerated, and homeless men are among the most vulnerable, underserved men.
MHI research also shows that more than 16 percent of men in Denver rate their health as fair or poor. Recent studies indicate that nearly 30 percent of men in Denver had more than one day within the past month when their mental health was not good. Of those, more than 12 percent said they had eight or more poor mental health days in the past month.
The MHI program sends male community health advisors into neighborhoods to educate men on the importance of preventive care; conduct health assessments and provide basic health screenings; facilitate low-cost insurance enrollment; provide case management for men with complex health problems; and provide health and resource referrals. MHI also reaches out to inmates, prior to their release, to help them transition to their community without gaps in health care and insurance coverage.
Editor’s note: For more information about Denver Health’s Office of Men’s Health, call Benny Samuels at 303-436-4182.
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