Strengthening support for minority health

April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM). This annual observance raises awareness of health disparities amongst racial and ethnic minorities and encourages people to take motion to finish these disparities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in 4 Americans, or 77 million people, have multiple chronic diseases. Spending on patients with various chronic diseases across the United States accounts for 71% of all health care resources across all settings.

Despite improvements within the nation’s overall health, racial and ethnic minorities experience lower quality health care—they’re less prone to receive routine medical care and face higher rates of morbidity and mortality than nonminorities.

Singer Melanie Fiona, entrepreneur and influencer Felicia La Tour, writer Ashley Chea and CEO of Black Love, Inc. Codie Elaine Oliver created The Mama’s Den to have honest conversations about motherhood, health, race, sexuality, religion and dating. In an unfiltered community full of authentic conversations and experiences, hosts share insights and knowledge from a mom’s perspective.

In a recent conversation with BLACK ENTERPRISES, Fiona, La Tour, Chea and Oliver make clear various points of Black maternal health, from disparities in medical care to the importance of mental health support.

Raising awareness a

For Fiona, NMHM means a possibility for collective motion and awareness. He emphasizes the importance of using platforms like social media to teach and interact the community, stating, “This is the time for people to educate themselves, understand and hear what we say and listen to what we ask for.”

Black individuals are more prone to experience such experiences barriers to timely medical care circuitously related to the price of care, resembling long waiting times on the doctor’s office, inconvenient office hours and lack of transportation.

La Tour echoes Fiona’s sentiments, emphasizing the essential role of advocacy in eliminating disparities within the healthcare industry. Drawing from personal experiences and people of her friends, she emphasizes the urgent need to lift awareness of issues resembling barriers to care, preventable miscarriages and medical malpractice, stating: “It’s simply essential. I have close friends who have experienced many late-term miscarriages that could have been prevented. It brings awareness to the many disparities that exist in health care, especially for Black women.”

Empowerment through education

Chea emphasizes the importance of empowerment and education for Black moms’ health. She sees NMHM as a possibility to create an area where individuals feel empowered to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. Chea states, “I look at it with the hope of creating a space and content where we feel like we have choices; we believe there is no one way to do it and we can all share resources, including promotion health equitytackling fundamental social issues and shedding light on algorithmic biases in healthcare and artificial intelligence.”

Health care algorithms and artificial intelligence may widen disparities in health care outcomes amongst different demographic groups, resembling those defined by race, ethnicity, gender or age.

One factor contributing to bias in healthcare algorithms and artificial intelligence is lack of diversity within the datasets used for training. To address this, when developing AI systems, it’s crucial to incorporate data from a big selection of patients representing different demographic backgrounds to make sure equitable performance across groups.

Oliver further emphasizes the role of education in inspiring change and healing in communities. She emphasizes the importance of sharing diverse birth experiences to empower women and families, stating: “It represents a collective time and space that brings healing and awareness. Historically, people of color have been characterized by a lack of trust and underutilization of services, as well as the impact of racism on the delivery of health care and mental health services. NMHM inspires change through collective action and community.”

Challenges and support in medical care

Black women face many challenges within the health care system, especially in maternity care. Fiona talks about her traumatic experience of getting an emergency caesarean section and her subsequent struggle to advocate for herself during her second pregnancy. She highlights systemic bias and the necessity for personalized care, stating, “Some women go to these meetings, offices and visits where they are treated as nothing more than statistics.”

In 2007, a technique often known as the VBAC algorithm was introduced to assist health care providers assess the potential for a protected vaginal delivery after a cesarean section. This algorithm takes into consideration various aspects, including: the lady’s age, indications for a previous cesarean section and the time that has passed for the reason that procedure. However, one study in 2017 revealed discrepancies within the accuracy of the unique algorithm.

Fiona shares, “The algorithm predicted that Black/African American women were less likely to have a successful vaginal delivery after cesarean section compared to non-Hispanic white women. I decided to have a VBAC during my second pregnancy and was met with resistance from the very beginning.”

When people go to a medical facility for help, they expect their doctor to make appropriate health decisions to make sure optimal health and outcomes.

Chea reflects on her journey through medical negligence and misdiagnosis, highlighting the crucial need for one’s own voice to be heard and advocate for appropriate care. Recalling her struggles with postpartum depression and an undiagnosed thyroid condition, she says: “I had to constantly strive to get the right care.”

After a three-year battle that ended with abnormal weight gain, diabetes and hospitalization, Chea finally received the right diagnosis that put her back on a healthier path. “It just sucks because the doctors kept telling me it was something else.”

The role of allies and social support

In coping with the maternal health crisis, it’s critical to have allies and community support by uniting community members and dealing with trusted organizations to discover issues. Oliver emphasizes the necessity for collective motion and support from partners, health professionals and allies. Emphasizes the importance of listening to Black women and amplifying their voices in advocating for equitable health care.

“It is imperative that all of us – family, community and health organizations – be aware and prudent,” notes Oliver. “Public health and community health actors have an opportunity to improve the well-being of their communities through initiatives to address the social determinants of health.”

Mama’s Den provides a platform for authentic conversations and experiences about minority health and Black maternal health. By sharing personal stories, advocating for change and fostering social support, Fiona, La Tour, Chea and Oliver exemplify resilience and empowerment in coping with the complexities of health and motherhood.

The change I need to make, even on a bigger scale in our community through my nonprofit, is to pass laws and alter laws,” La Tour emphasizes. “Stop on what I’m doing, what Elaine, Melanie, and Ashley are doing, or what someone you know is doing. Get in line and lend your support, whether it’s physical or monetary support.”