By Charlene Muhammad, California Black Media
Leibo Glover received his diabetes diagnosis at the same time he found out he needed a below-the-knee amputation.
“Minor,” thought the 63-year-old.
Glover had been self-medicating a toe injury before seeing the doctor.
But while driving from South Los Angeles to Miami on a family trip, an infection set in.
“I had it but didn’t know,” said Glover. “I was just going to come back to California, but they told me if I had left, I would have come home as a corpse,” Glover told California Black Media (CBM).
A majority of the nearly 3.5 million Californians diagnosed with diabetes have preventable Type 2 diabetes, according to researchers at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
In 2023, diabetes was diagnosed in 1 in 6 adults with the lowest incomes (16.7% at 0–99% of the federal poverty line), compared to 1 in 11 adults with the highest incomes (8.9% at 300% or more of the federal poverty line). Age is a factor, too: more than 1 in 5 older adults age 65 and over (22.3%) had diabetes, about twice the rate of adults age 18–64 (8.6%).
Another study by Health Economics and Evaluation Research (HEER) mapped patients with diabetes in California who had amputations. Researchers found that patients living in low-income ZIP codes were far more likely to have had lower-limb amputations than those in higher-income ZIP codes, essentially identifying amputation “hot spots.”
At the time of Glover’s 2018 diagnosis, he was experiencing housing instability and going through financial hardships, contributing to his chronic health condition. Now, he has more stable housing and he has improved his health through lifestyle changes like eating healthier and getting more sleep.
“If the equipment is right, I can stand on my leg for hours. I can actually run, jump, dance and all of that,” said Glover, who got his diabetes under control, in part, by avoiding carbohydrates and sugars.
As chronic illnesses continue to disproportionately impact Black Californians — often leading to preventable amputations and premature deaths — a growing number of doctors and advocates are expanding their care from just treatment to including prevention. From promoting diet and lifestyle changes to cultivating community farms focused on prevention and wellness like Dr. Bill Releford’s Bloom Ranch in Acton.
Releford, a podiatrist based in Los Angeles started the 250-acre Bloom Ranch in 2023 as part of his strategy for preventive care.
“This is my assignment,” said Releford.
“Bloom Ranch has been a perfect backdrop for me to be creative and to find avant-garde ways to make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible to food deserts in Los Angeles County,” he stated.
California produces nearly half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables, yet more than 1 in 5 Californians — about 8.8 million people — currently struggle with food insecurity, according to the California Association of Food Banks.
“Studies have shown that 75% of amputations are preventable. And African Americans have the highest amputation rate in the nation,” Releford said.
As such, Releford continued, the mortality rate associated with high-level amputation is 50%, which means “if we had 10 people that all had high level amputations, five of those would be deceased in three years.”
Releford’s ranch is the largest Black-owned farm in L.A. County. He plans to partner with UCLA and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science to develop prescriptive vegetable boxes.
Credit: California Black Media
“Certain vegetables and herbs can lower blood pressure naturally, like beets, turnips, dill, basil, garlic and others,” said Releford.
“Hopefully, this will inspire other farmers to take this model and replicate it across other urban areas,” Releford added.
“A lot of studies have shown that gardening has so many health benefits – being in the sun, Vitamin D,” said Releford. “The dirt has a lot of microbes that are good for your immune system. Studies have shown that people who work in the dirt have strong immune systems.”
Gardening can potentially decrease the risk of dementia, enhance cognition, reduce stress, and boost immunity, indicates research by Genoa Barrow of the University of Southern California Center for Health Journalism as part of the 2024 Ethnic Media Collaborative, Healing California.
During a recent picturesque day at Bloom Ranch, families, school children, farmers and members of The Ultimate Book Club 1998, founded by Alina Anderson, sampled and purchased fresh produce while taking photographs.
“This is huge. “All of us have families that could use this information,” said Anderson.
Doctors like Releford, who are committed to tackling the most chronic diseases impacting all their patients utilize peer-to-peer support programs with self-management training led by individuals living with chronic conditions to provide role models and support for patients, according to a recent study by the California Health Care Foundation.
“The unifying feature of these programs is that they seek to build on the strengths, knowledge, and experience that peers can offer,” the report states.
Liz Helms, CEO of the California Chronic Care Coalition, addressed state-backed prevention policy and initiatives.
“It’s in horrible shape. It needs to get so much better, especially in underserved areas, where the Black population has a whole set of different needs,” she said.
Helms, who started advocacy after being denied access to care in the early 1990s, applauded new developments in telehealth. The opportunity to choose between visiting a doctor’s office or placing a phone call makes a difference, especially if there are transportation or distance issues, or if one is too sick, she said.
Fear is one thing people, especially in the Black community, must overcome, emphasized Helms.
“I had to get over my fear of going to the doctor, of not speaking up,” continued Helms, urging patients to “understand the baseline” of their health.
“Don’t let anyone stigmatize you or tell you that you’re not good enough to get care or look down on you. Everyone has a right to good, quality, affordable, timely health care,” said Helms.
To engage Bloom Ranch for preventive care focused on wellbeing and healthy living, call (323) 388-4828 or sign up at Bloomranchofacton.com
By Dr. Lorraine Bonner, Special to California Black Media Partners
I went to a medical school that was steeped in the principles of classical western medicine. However, I also learned mindfulness meditation during that time, which opened me to the multifaceted relationship between illnesses and the interconnecting environmental, mental and emotional realities that can impact an individual’s health.
Therefore, when I began to practice medicine, I also pursued training in hypnosis, relaxation techniques, meditation and guided imageryto my work in both medical care and prevention.
The people I saw in my practice had a mix of problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and a variety of pain issues. I taught almost everyone relaxation breathing and made some general relaxation tapes. To anyone who was willing, I offered guided imagery.
“My work embraced an approach to wellness I call “Liberatory Health” — one that not only addresses the treatment and management of disease symptoms but also seeks to dismantle the conditions that make people sick in the first place.”
From my perspective, illness is only the outermost manifestation of our efforts to cope, often fueled by addictions such as sugar, tobacco, or alcohol, shackled by an individualistic cult belief that we have only ourselves to blame for our suffering.
At the deepest and also most expansive level of reality, we are all part of the same being, our bodies made from the minerals of the earth, our spirits infused by the spiritual breath that animates the universe. Willingness to move more deeply into fear and pain is the first step toward moving into a larger consciousness. Willingness to move beyond the delusion of our separateness can show us new ways of working and living together.
To put these ideas into practical form, I would quote the immortal Mr. Rogers: “Find the helpers.” There are already people in every community working for liberation. Some of them are running for office, others are giving food to those who need it. Some are volunteering in schools, libraries or hospitals. Some are studying liberation movements, or are working in urban or community gardens, or learning to practice restorative and transformative justice, or creating liberation art, music, dance, theater or writing. Some are mentoring high schoolers or
apprenticing young people in a trade. There are many places where compassionate humans are finding other humans and working together for a better world.
A more compassionate world is possible, one in which we will all enjoy better health. Creating it will make us healthier, too.
In community, we are strong. Recognizing denial and overcoming the fragmenting effects of spiritual disorder offer us a path to liberation and true health.
Good health and well-being are the collective rights of all people!
About the Author
Dr. Lorraine Bonner is a retired physician. She is also a sculptor who works in clay, exploring issues of trust, trustworthiness and exploitation, as well as visions of a better world.