WASHINGTON (AP)—Men finally may be getting a clearer message about undergoing PSA screening for prostate cancer: Don’t do it.

They may not listen. After all, the vast majority of men over 50 already get tested.

The idea that finding cancer early can harm instead of help is a hard one to understand. But it’s at the heart of a government panel’s draft recommendation that those PSA blood tests should no longer be part of routine screening for healthy men.

PROSTATE SURGERY—In this Sept. 13 photo, Dr. Gautam Jayram assists during prostate cancer surgery, watching an internal video of the patient’s body, at the University of Chicago Medical Center. (AP Photo/University of Chicago Medical Center, Bruce Powell)

If you were born in Pittsburgh 100 years ago, your health outlook would have been very different from today. In 1920, Pittsburgh had the worst recorded infant mortality rate of any major U.S. city, with one in nine babies dying before their first birthday.

Now in 2011, thanks to antibiotics, vaccines and other modern medical interventions, life expectancy and overall health have vastly improved for our youngest citizens. Unfortunately for African-American children, the gains have not been nearly as great as for Whites. According to the latest Allegheny County figures, Black infants lead all other races in infant death rates (see figure). These disparities continue throughout childhood and have spurred numerous campaigns to improve health in the African-American community and narrow the racial health gap.

by Ricado Alonso-Zaldivar

WASHINGTON (AP)—Weary of getting pounded over the new health care law, Democrats are hitting the reset button for next year’s elections.

They’re changing the subject to Medicare.

MEDICARE ADVOCATES—In this June 13 photo Dena Robinson, from right, and Hannah Hoffman, join dozens of Medicare advocates gathered outside the Newseum in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Divisions over the health care overhaul appear irreconcilable, but polls show Americans of all political leanings feel protective of Medicare.

President Barack Obama’s latest debt plan for Congress, issued last week, signals he’s on board with the shift.

Gone is a proposed increase in the Medicare eligibility age the White House put on the table in earlier discussions with House Speaker John Boehner. Instead, Obama threatened to veto Medicare beneficiary cuts unless Congress also raises taxes on the rich.

The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh was founded in 1918 with the shared National Urban League mission of enabling African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. Today, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh has become one of the most accomplished affiliates in the country.

The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh focuses on serving African American constituents and other minorities, but no one is ever turned away. Last year, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh served more than 28,000 individuals in Pittsburgh and the surrounding counties. As the largest comprehensive social service/civil rights organization in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh provides services in the areas of education, health advocacy, housing, early childhood and youth development, hunger services, employment and career training/counseling and economic empowerment.

From left: Esther L. Bush, Community PARTners co-director pictured with Michael Yonas and Jessica Griffin Burke, Community PARTners deputy directors. (Photo by Joshua Franzos)