Health and Medicine

Health and Medicine

This page is part of Activate Good’s collaborative online knowledge base about issues impacting the Triangle area that can be tackled through volunteer action and more!

Health and Medicine Quick Facts

  • 1 in 3 American families struggle to afford diapers
  • About 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime
  • 38.4 million people globally were living with HIV in 2021
  • There are 14.6 million people living with HIV who don’t have access to treatment
  • Gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities are most disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic
  • People with diabetes account for $1 of every $4 spent on healthcare in the U.S.
  • From 2014 to 2019 the average price per insulin unit rose 54%
  • Around 1 in 10 people in the United States are living without health insurance
  • In North Carolina during January–September 2020, deaths from COVID-19 were 1.6 times higher among Black persons than among non-Hispanic White person
  • NC currently ranks 47th in the nation for disparities in health status
  • More than 50 million Americans struggle with mental illness
  • Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide
  • 1,469,000 adults in North Carolina have a mental health condition
  • Of the 452,000 adults in North Carolina who did not receive needed mental health care, 44.8% did not because of cost
  • Members of LGBTQ+ community are almost 3 times more likely to experience a mental health condition such as major depression or generalized anxiety disorder
  • 180,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in North Carolina

Explore Articles

Check out some of our awesome Community Partners working in this cause area!

 

How You Can Help

Take action! Find a local volunteer opportunity related to health and medicine!
Volunteer Opportunities

Learning Resources

Interested in learning more about this issue? Check out some of these books, articles, documentaries, podcasts, and more.

Take action by learning – and use your purchase power to support our work (and independent bookstores) too! If you find something you like and make a purchase through any of our cause-oriented Bookshop lists, Activate Good will receive a portion of the sale.

Articles

Documentaries and Videos

Podcasts and Other Resources

Learning is a lifelong process — there’s always new information out there, and the journey to share it is best completed together. Would you like to help us collect and share knowledge about this topic? Learn about contributing here.

Other Ways to Make an Impact

Volunteer

  • Visit our website to sign up for needs of health and medicine focused organizations, or specific opportunities that benefit the public health.

Work

  • Advocate for practices and policies at your place of work, like wellness days

Listen & Learn

  • Check out resources right on this page!
  • Follow some of our Community Partners and other organizations on social media to learn right from the source

Service

  • Consider taking up a leadership position in the community and using your platform to advance the cause

Voice

Donate

  • Make a financial contribution to a local organization committed supporting community health
  • Donate unused medical supplies
  • Join the National organ, eye, and tissue donor registry here
  • Consider becoming a living organ donor here

Purchase Power

Vote

  • Do your due diligence in researching candidates, platforms, and policies.
    • Common Cause is a great tool for learning about your representatives and what they advocate!
  • Mark your calendars for the next local election, and participate

Social Entrepreneur

Learning is a lifelong process — there’s always new information out there, and the journey to share it is best completed together. Would you like to help us collect and share knowledge about this topic? Learn about contributing here.

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