Population Health News, September 2026

Health Disparities & Equity

Disability rates and country of origin: Among South Asian immigrants to the US, disability rates vary based on country of origin. For adults over 65, people born in Bangladesh have the highest rates. Meanwhile, “immigrants from India (29.1%) and Pakistan (30.2%) remain at or below U.S.-born levels.” (Syracuse University Lerner Center Brief, June 2026)

Indigenous Minnesotans face incarceration disparities: Lack of access to mental health treatment, poverty, and jurisdictional confusion, contribute to higher rates of incarceration among Indigenous people. (KAXE radio, July 1, 2026)

Environmental and Climate Health & Justice

The suburbs now face increased wildfire risks: In sprawling suburban areas like Reno, Nevada, and Spokane, Washington, wildfires are hitting closer to home.  (Grist, August 28, 2026)

Reparations coming to some LA residents harmed by oil drilling: Historically, Black residents have been more likely to live near oil wells–and the health risks that accompany them, like birth complications and cancer. California’s AB1661 law would direct money to 1000 households who have been impacted. (Capital B News, September 16, 2026)

Built Environments, Spaces, and Places

Daylight is linked to better health across multiple outcomes: Exposure to daylight is linked to better mental and cardiac health and to lower cancer and mortality rates from all causes. Yet we spend too much time indoors.  Building design that lets natural daylight in could help. (US Glass Magazine, July 9, 2026. For more info, see Rowan Jacobesn’s In Defense of Sunlight, cited in this article.)

People with lower incomes more likely to experience noise disturbances: Noise pollution can harm our health. Lower-income households are more likely to report being disturbed by noise, such as road, rail, aircraft, dogs, or emergency sirens. (HQ Network, September 17, 2026)

Policy and Programs

New immigration and other policies threaten long-term care: The long-term care services sector relies on immigrants to care for older adults, and the demand for caregivers is growing. But recent immigration and other policies have ripple effects, including an increased burden on unpaid family caregivers. (Health Affairs, August 26, 2026) 

Medicare’s AI program has high denial rate in Washington State: Third-party companies using AI to deny patients care receive a portion of the money they “save” Medicare. The denial rate in Washington State was 53%. Some patients were left in pain. (The Seattle Times, September 16, 2026)

Book Spotlight

Crossing the Gap: Healing Epidemics and Inequalities in a Divided City. Author David A. Ansell, MD, looks at how people are closing the health gaps between different Chicago neighborhoods. Church pastors, a major medical center, community organizers, and others on Chicago’s West Side aim to transform the health and other systems to narrow the 20+year life expectancy gap. (University of Chicago Press, coming in November 2026, pre-order now)