Sister-to-Sister, Inc. The Inaugural Health Edition |
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Message from the Founder All life is precious. To me, the glow of a pregnant woman is incomparable as is that illuminated by the birth of a healthy, bouncing baby. We each long for many things in life. I would postulate that the most important is good health. Without it, other things for which we may long have little meaning. Unless we ourselves or someone we care about is experiencing a poor state of health, we likely don't give it a second thought. We should. The reality is that if we or somebody close to us hasn't dealt with a health challenge, chances are that one awaits. We must be ready to successfully navigate through the healthcare maze. I speak of this readiness as one who has served as a navigator for family members, friends, and myself. Preparedness requires education. For nearly thirty years, Sister-to-Sister has worked to better Black women and girls' lives. And by so doing, their far-reaching communities. In 2023, we, the Board of Directors and some members, have determined to raise awareness about health conditions plaguing us - ones that lead to extreme illness and even death. We have also determined to build collaborative partnerships to: 1) gain access to equitable, quality healthcare; 2) take charge of our and loved ones' health through education and application of successful proven methodologies; and 3) save and prolong life by creating paths to healthy lifestyles for our youth. We start at the beginning; that is, accepting the fact that racial discrimination has played and continues to play a significantly disproportionate adverse role in the status of Black women's health, as well as this population's pregnancy and childbirth outcomes. See the forthcoming December 2022 newsletter for information re: our January 21, 2023, private screening of Aftershock, an award-winning documentary focused on Black maternal morbidity and our February 25, 2023, Towards Health Equity: Saving Lives of Black Mothers & Infants event. View our promotional video for this event below. Also, see the one that follows for Aftershock. This is the first edition of our health-related news updates. We invite readers with healthcare backgrounds and those who have suffered poor health outcomes due to inequitable healthcare or know someone who has, to weigh in on the subject while sharing success stories and learned experiences from unsuccessful ones. If interested, contact us at info@sister-to-sister.org. All stories received will be considered for publication. In this season of Good Tidings, Sister-to-Sister, Inc. wishes you and your loved ones 'Good Health.' Velveta Velveta Golightly-Howell |
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What drives Black maternal health inequities in the U.S.? By Jennifer Lubell, Contributing Editor American Medical Association January 17, 2022 |
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What drives Black maternal health inequities in the U.S.Statistics on Black maternal health in the United States underscore serious gaps in care. Black women are three to four times more likely to die from complications surrounding pregnancy and childbirth than white women. Death rates for infants born to Black Americans with advanced degrees are higher than white Americans who didn't go to high school. |
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Black Maternal Mortality: ‘It is Racism, not Race’ By Tina Suliman Johns-Hopkins University Center for Communications May 17, 2021 |
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Black Maternal Mortality: 'It's not Race, it's Racism'On Thursday, May 6, the eve of Mother's Day weekend, the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing on racism in Black maternal health care. Among the witnesses were the families of Black mothers who had died giving birth. Congresswoman Cori Bush gave an impassioned speech recounting her own traumatic pregnancy experiences as a Black woman. |
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Understanding slavery’s legacy in health and medicine Harvard University, T.H. Chan School of Public Health May 8, 2017 |
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Understanding slavery's legacy in health and medicineMay 8, 2017-In the 18th through early 20th centuries, white physicians studied black slaves and their descendants in an attempt to identify characteristics that were distinctive of their race. They believed that all questions about health could be answered in the body; therefore, if blacks had poorer health outcomes than whites, the differences must be due to inherent racial weaknesses, not disparities in economic circumstance. |
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How discrimination can harm Black women’s health Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Policy |
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How discrimination can harm black women's healthBlack women face risks to their health from discrimination-both from health professionals who don't take their concerns seriously and from biological wear and tear caused by chronic stress. An October 2018 Oprah.com article on the topic cites research from two researchers and an alumna from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. |
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8 Conditions that Disproportionately Affect Black Women and what you can do to prevent some of them Black women are often plagued with disproportionately high incidences or mortality rates for various health conditions, like heart disease, breast cancer, and more. Read the full Self Magazine March 30, 2017, article by Zahra Barnes. Click the link below. |
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Pending Federal Legislation Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 U.S. House of Representatives About the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 Background: In the richest nation on earth, moms are dying at the highest rate in the developed world – and the rate is rising. For as dire as the situation is for all women and birthing people, the crisis is most severe for Black moms, who are dying at 3 to 4 times the rate of their white counterparts. Native Americans are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes. One study found that in New York City, Hispanic birthing people experienced severe maternal morbidity at 1.8 times the rate of non-Hispanic white birthing people. Other research has shown that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have higher rates of maternal mortality during hospitalization for delivery, even after accounting for other factors that affect outcomes. To address the maternal health crisis in America, Congressional leaders have been fighting for critically important policies like 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage, which would ensure moms and have access to the care and support they need and deserved for the full postpartum period.
To build on these efforts, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Congresswoman Alma Adams, Senator Cory Booker, and members of the Black Maternal Health Caucus are introducing the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021. The Black Maternal Health Momnibus builds on existing legislation to comprehensively address every dimension of the maternal health crisis in America. |
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Black Maternal Health MomnibusAbout the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 Background: In the richest nation on earth, moms are dying at the highest rate in the developed world - and the rate is rising. |
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