A story picked up from the Detroit Free Press about disparities in health care between poorer and more affluent population areas mentions that separate federally funded projects at Wayne State are using $11 million in grants to intervene earlier in the study and management of African-American health issues. Prevention of heart disease before it results in costlier health problems is the focus of a one-year study by Dr. Phillip Levy at Detroit Receiving Hospital . He points out that earlier treatment of high blood pressure, for example, could save significant amounts of money when compared to the costs of treating heart failure. Dr. John Flack, a blood pressure specialist at the WSU School of Medicine, points out that elevated blood pressure "begins earlier in the black population in the United States and is more severe." He said studies show that African Americans may not be treated as aggressively for the disease.