STORMTRACKER THERE’D RIGHT THERE, BUT NOT EVERYWHERE. SO JUST PLEASE KEEP IN MIND.
WEATHER’S PRETTY DICEY FOR
MOST OF THE DAY. ALL RIGHT. ON
ANOTHER NOTE, SAVING ALL
MOTHERS AND BABIES IN 2021,
THE U.S. HAD ONE OF THE WORST
MATERNAL MORTALITY RATES IN
THE COUNTRY’S HISTORY.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: ACCORDING TO
A NEW CDC REPORT, MORE THAN
1200 PEOPLE DIED OF MATERNAL
CAUSES, WHICH IS A 40%
INCREASE FROM THE YEAR BEFORE.
NOW, THE DEATH RATE AMONG
BLACK AMERICANS IS NEARLY 3
TIMES HIGHER THAN WHITE WOMEN.
DOCTOR NIKKI ROWAN WITH HCA,
FLORIDA, ORANGE PARK, WOMEN’S
HEALTH IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT
SOME OF THIS AND WHAT SOME ARE
CALLING A CRISIS SPECIFICALLY
IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. YOU
KNOW, TALK BEES WHO SAY THAT
THEIR BLACK PATIENTS ARE
LITERALLY TERRIFIED. THEY’RE
PREGNANT, BLACK PATIENTS ABOUT
DELIVERING AND ABOUT SURVIVING
THAT DELIVERY. DO WE HAVE A
CLEAR UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHY
BLACK WOMEN ARE MORE AT RISK
THAN WHITE WOMEN?
>> I THINK IT REALLY BOILS
DOWN TO THE FACT THAT THE
PLAYING FIELD IS NOT REALLY
EVEN TO START WITH. SO THERE
ARE LOTS OF THINGS THAT
CONTRIBUTE TO THAT. ONE OF
WHICH IS THAT A LOT OF TIMES
BLACK WOMEN MAY NOT BE AS
HEALTHY ENTRY IN THE PREGNANCY
AS OTHER WOMEN, WE’RE MORE
LIKELY TO BE HYPERTENSIVE THAT
BASELINE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
ANEMIA. ONE OF THE MAJOR
CAUSES OF DEATH IS BLEEDING AT
DELIVERY. AND IF YOU’RE
STARTING OFF FROM AND THEN THE
MIC LEVEL, YOU’RE ALREADY KIND
OF BEHIND THE 8 BALL. ANOTHER
THING IS THAT, YOU
>> OUR OUR ENTIRE SOCIETY HAS
SOME KIND OF SYSTEMIC ISSUES.
AND THAT WE HAVE GOT TO
ADDRESS, INCLUDING THE PAY GAP
FOR MEN AND WOMEN AND ACCESS
TO BE ABLE TO HAVE TIME OUT OF
WORK AND MATERNITY. IF YOU’RE
TALKING TO SOMEONE WHO KNOWS
THAT THEY’RE HYPERTENSIVE IN
GOING TO BE AT RISK FOR A LOT
OF THESE PROBLEMS. AND ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT THEY’RE GOING
TO HAVE TO DO IS SOME
ADDITIONAL FETAL MONITORING
WHICH COSTS MONEY OR TAKE TIME
OFF OF WORK IN ORDER TO BE
ABLE TO MAKE THEIR
APPOINTMENTS, BLOOD PRESSURE
DOWN. THAT BECOMES REALLY
DIFFICULT WHEN STATISTICALLY
YOU MAY BE MAKING $0.63 ON THE
DOLLAR, RIGHT? I MEAN, THERE’S
A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. WHY
WE’RE SEEING THOSE NUMBERS IN
A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE MAY BE
SYSTEMIC RACISM ARE SICK
STOMACH PROBLEMS AND THEY
DON’T NECESSARILY BELIEVE THAT
OR THEY THINK THAT WE SHOULD
BE ABLE TO OVERCOME THAT.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: I WANT TO
POINT OUT A STUDY DONE BY
JOHNS HOPKINS IN MARYLAND AND
THEY LOOKED AT MEDICAL RECORDS
LANGUAGE. SO HOW DOCTORS WERE
TALKING TO PATIENTS, HOW THEY
RECORDED WHAT THEY WERE SAYING
AND THEY FOUND A BLACK
PATIENTS WERE LESS LIKELY TO
BELIEVE TO BE BELIEVED BY
PHYSICIANS. SO HOW CAN
PATIENTS KIND OF OVERCOME THIS
INHERENT BIAS THAT AND AND YOU
HAVE TO THINK, YOU KNOW, ALL
DOCTORS MAY EXPERIENCE THIS. I
THINK ONE THING IS TO
>> MAKE SURE THAT YOU CHOOSE
YOUR PROVIDER AND HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY FOR PRENATAL CARE
SO THAT YOU CAN REALLY DEVELOP
A RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT
PERSON AND THEY CAN START TO
KNOW YOU AND WHAT THINGS ARE
IMPORTANT TO YOU AND AND
REALLY VALUE AS A PERSON. I
THINK THE OTHER THING BECAUSE
A LOT OF TIMES CHILDBIRTH IS
UNSCHEDULED, RIGHT? SO YOU MAY
YOUR PROVIDER THAT YOU CHOSE
MAY NOT BE THE ONE WHO’S
ACTUALLY ON UNAVAILABLE FOR TO
YOUR ACTUAL DELIVERY. AND SO I
THINK THERE IS WHERE DO LIST
CAN BE VERY HELPFUL BECAUSE
THEY CAN BE SOMEONE WHO IS
THAT ADVOCATE FOR YOU AND WHO
YOU DO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF A
LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH
AND CAN KIND OF WORK ALMOST AS
LIKE A TRANSLATOR TO WHICHEVER
PROVIDER THAT YOU’RE HAVING
THAT MOMENT IN ORDER TO BE
ABLE TO REALLY ADVOCATE AND
AND HELP MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
ARE TAKING.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: YOUR
CONCERNS SERIOUSLY? AND I WAS
A SAYING AND THE OTHER THING
IS DON’T OVERLOOK CONCERNS.
YOU KNOW, I TALK WITH ONE
DOCTOR SAYS THAT SHE TRULY
BELIEVES THERE SHOULD BE
DIFFERENT PROTOCOL FOR BLACK
WOMEN LIKE THEY SHOULD BE
MONITORED. THEIR BLOOD
PRESSURE SHOULD BE MONITORED
MORE FREQUENTLY. BUT THEN ON
THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU ARE
EXPERIENCING SOMETHING YOU
HAVE TO REALLY RING THE ALARM
AND SAY THIS IS SERIOUS ENOUGH
THAT DOCTORS NOT LISTENING TO
YOU GO TO ANOTHER PROVIDER,
SOMEONE ELSE AND THAT CLINIC
THAT CAN HELP YOU? YES,
ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THAT SOME
OF THE
>> THINGS, SOME OF THE
SYMPTOMS THAT PRISON ARE
OBVIOUS LIKE EXTREME PAIN OR
HEAVY BLEEDING ARE, YOU KNOW,
EVERYONE WOULD KNOW TO SEEK
CARE FOR THAT. BUT ESPECIALLY
IN THE TIME FRAME AFTER
DELIVERY THINGS LIKE SHORTNESS
OF BREATH, ESPECIALLY IF IT
GETS WORSE WHEN YOU’RE LAYING
DOWN OR NOW WE’RE SEEING A LOT
MORE PREGNANCY RELATED DEATHS
THAT ARE RELATED TO MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES. SO IF YOU’RE
STARTING TO FEEL VERY
OVERWHELMED AND LIKE YOU’RE
JUST SPIRALING, THAT IS
DEFINITELY AN EMERGENCY AND
YOU NEED TO GET HELP FOR THAT
RIGHT AWAY. EMPOWERED. I WE WE
PUT THIS OUT THERE. WE DON’T
WANT WOMEN TO FEEL SCARED, BUT
>>MELANIE LAWSON: JUST KNOW
THAT IT IS AN ISSUE. IT IS
NOT. IT IS REAL. YOU’RE NOT
MAKING IT UP AND MAKE SURE