‘Health’ Archives
A Simple Test Could Save Your Life: Get Screened for Colon Cancer
By Dr. LAN LUU, Co-Medical Director of Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC) Colon cancer happens when abnormal cells grow in your colon or rectum (the lower parts of the belly). Colon cancer is rising among people younger than 50 years-old. Luckily, if it is caught early, colon cancer is treatable. For these reasons, it is recommended that everyone starts screening for colon cancer at 45 years-old. There are generally three options offered to patients: The FIT test (fecal immunochemical test) detects blood in a small sample of stool (poop). Healthcare clinics give patients a test kit and instructions. YouTube has videos in many languages to help. Patients then mail the kit back to their clinic. This test should be taken every year. Cologuard is also a stool test. It detects abnormal cells through DNA. Medical providers order a kit that is mailed to your home. After collecting the stool, you return the kit in a pre-paid box. This test should be taken every three [...]
A Culturally Grounded Approach
By GREGG HARRISON, Vice President of Clinic Administration at NACC South Minneapolis is facing a persistent crisis: opioid addiction and homelessness often go hand in hand. Many in our community live without housing because of addiction, and this is not new. These challenges stretch back generations, rooted in broken treaties, land theft, boarding schools, and other traumas that stripped Native people of family, culture, and place. The 1950s “relocation” policy, aimed at uprooting Native Americans from reservations and assimilating them into cities, further isolated families, disrupted traditions, and laid the foundation for today’s struggles. You can see the roots of our current crisis in these failed policies. Since opening our doors in 2003, we at the Native American Community Clinic (NACC) have worked to address these harms, guided by an understanding of history and a belief in culture as medicine. This perspective shapes how we respond to today’s crisis. We began [...]
Treating Opioid Use
By CUHCC People who use substances like opioids deserve dignity and respect, just like anyone else. A compassionate approach to care that centers on the patient’s individual goals is embraced at Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC), 2001 Bloomington Ave. If someone has wounds from their substance use, help will be given to heal. If employment or housing are deterrents to health goals, connections will be made to services that can help. HIV and hepatitis C testing and treatment are also common requests from Clinic patients in this situation. CUHCC personnel understand that not everyone wants to stop using substances, so there is no pressure for people to fully quit. Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) is offered to reduce cravings and help with withdrawal symptoms, so someone who wants to use less has the same options as someone who wants to quit. An alternative unique at CUHCC is Sublocade - it’s a medication that is given to patients through an [...]
