CONVERGE is horrified and heartbroken to hear of the death of Tierra Walker, a 37 year old from San Antonio, Texas who died after being denied lifesaving abortion care. Tierra’s story is difficult for anyone to read, but we know it is especially painful for anyone who has experienced the same injustices Tierra and her family faced during her pregnancy.
Findings from Drs. Salter, Mendez, Jarlenski, and their team can assist Medicaid agencies in understanding how MCOs interpret and implement equity-based policy to ensure intended populations are benefiting from the planned outcomes.
In-depth interviews with organizational partners revealed that racial equity was of concern and as a result, coalition members developed a racial equity statement and theory of change focused on implementation and an equity audit.
Drs. Jarlenski and Mendez's mixed methods research evaluating Pennsylvania Medicaid's equity payment program and equity focused obstetric bundle show how Medicaid policy interventions can promote racial equity in pregnancy and child health.
Black pregnant women encounter structural racism and intersectional bias from healthcare providers. By centering their perspectives and experiences of racial discrimination in healthcare settings, public health and medical professionals can utilize anti-racist frameworks to create more equitable, just practices in reproductive healthcare.
Read more about Drs. Ashley Hill and Natacha De Genna's findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38106375/
Drs. Ashley Hill, Natacha De Genna, and their team found that young Black women who desired pregnancy and birthing support during Covid-19 encountered structural racism and intersectional bias from healthcare providers.
Read more about their research findings here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321523001178?via%3Dihub
Drs. Mendez, Jarlenski, Chang, and their team measured racial inequities in drug testing among pregnant people and found that clinicians were more likely to order urine drug testing for Black patients compared with their White counterparts.
Read more of their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37769307/
Poor birth outcomes are more prevalent for Black communities, but strong evidence shows that doula care can improve those outcomes. In this study by Dr. Mosley and her team, doulas noted the alarming Black maternal mortality rate and how mistreatment causes Black clients to lose trust in medical staff, leaving them in need of advocates. Doulas also discussed the ways that race influences their connections with clients and their dissatisfaction with the lack of cultural humility or sensitivity training in standard doula training.
Dr. Marian Jarlenski's recent study shows:
• There are racial/ethnic inequities in medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) use during pregnancy.
• Less is known about racial/ethnic inequities in MOUD use postpartum.
• White women had longer duration of MOUD postpartum than Hispanic or Black women.
• Inequities differed by type of MOUD.
• Reducing inequities in MOUD use is critical to improving perinatal outcomes.
Read more about their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37058829/
