The Late Skimm: Women in the South Are More Likely to Die From Certain Cancers

What’s Happening

Health

Women in the South Are More Likely to Die From Certain Cancers

What’s going on: A report released today found that women who live in 12 states, seven of which are in the Southeast (including Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana), are more likely to die from breast and cervical cancer than women in other states. The national average for breast and cervical cancer deaths is 20.9 per 100,000 female residents, according to Axios. But the report from the Commonwealth Fund (a private foundation focused on health care policy) reveals some Southern states experienced rates between 23 and 28 deaths per 100,000 female residents. Many of the states with higher mortality rates had lower cancer screening rates — and ranked worse than average on measures like “health care access, quality, and health outcomes.” The president of the Commonwealth Fund, Dr. Joseph Betancourt, told CNN, “This failure is having a disproportionate impact on women of color and women with low incomes.”

What it means: Disparities in women’s health care are only growing wider, and certain geographical regions are disproportionately impacted. The new findings support previous reports that women of color and low-income women in the South lack critical health care, whether it's reproductive health care and abortion services or proper screening and preventative care. And the trend is unlikely to improve as fewer OB-GYNs and other doctors apply for residencies in states with major restrictions on reproductive care, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. 

Related: For women with dense breast tissue, mammograms might not be enough (The Cut)

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🛍️ The Trader Joe’s mini insulated totes are back in stock. Run, don’t walk.

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🎃 As if the entire month of October wasn’t enough, say hello to “Summerween.”

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The Countdown Is On

As you’ve probably heard, the Summer Olympics start next week in Paris. We’re already counting down the days.

The opening ceremony starts on Friday, July 26, at 7:30 pm Paris time / 1:30 pm Eastern, but prime-time coverage will begin at 7:30 pm Eastern on NBC and Peacock. (That's what we're counting down to above.)