Change requires everyday awareness

Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) is an annual campaign, founded by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, that takes place every year between April 11-17. April is National Minority Health Month in the U.S., intending to advance health equity for racial and ethnic minorities. BMHW specifically aims to raise awareness of the stark disparities in maternal health. This year, for the first time, the White House issued an official proclamation establishing BMHW and calling on all Americans to raise awareness of the state of Black maternal health in the U.S. But to make a meaningful difference for Black mothers and babies and close the gaps in care and outcomes, we must make the commitment year-round.

This is a recap of a live event held on March 19, 2021, with Dr. Joseph betancourt and michele courton brown. view the video recording.

Covid Vaccination: Where we stand

The U.S. has recently seen a steep decrease in Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions, and deaths. These trends are a welcome relief. However, significant concerns remain about the possibility of a fourth wave due to Covid variants and the loosening of restrictions that establish social distancing. Parts of Europe and South America provide a clear warning as they undergo further lockdowns to stop Covid's spread. We are in a tenuous moment when our vaccination efforts are in a race against variance and the spread of infection. 

What is virtual care?

As healthcare organizations look for ways to increase value, reduce costs, and improve access to services, the industry has begun to embrace digital technologies, including video, audio, mobile apps, and text messaging. 

Mental Health Disparities and Covid-19

As the country absorbs the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives, we face a bereavement crisis borne disproportionately by minority communities. New data show that in 2020, deaths among non-Hispanic white people have been 11.9% higher than average. In contrast, the increases have been much more severe in the Latinx community (53.6% higher), the Asian community (36.6% higher), the Black community (32.9% higher), and in American Indians and Alaskan Natives (28.9% higher). These death rates correlate with racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence of Covid-19 and reflect the disproportionate burden experienced by communities of color. 

A Call to Action for Healthcare Providers

During June of 2020, Quality Interactions held a weekly live webcast series of conversations on how to provide culturally-competent healthcare amid the Covid-19 pandemic and social unrest due to racial injustice. Led by Dr. Joseph Betancourt, and moderated by Michele Courton Brown, these candid discussions drew on Dr. Betancourt's experience leading the pandemic response at Massachusetts General Hospital and his longtime leadership in the fight against racial and ethnic healthcare disparities.

Statement on Racial Injustice from Quality Interactions

Our country is in a pivotal moment. Against the backdrop of a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted communities of color at staggering rates, tens of thousands of Americans in all fifty states are protesting to demand an end to racial injustice and police brutality. We can no longer turn away from the reality of racism and racial inequality in America. 

Racial health disparities have been magnified dramatically by the COVID-19 crisis. In the Boston area, where Quality Interactions is based, we see that the hardest-hit communities are ones of color, where social distancing is a luxury not available to most residents. The epidemic is disproportionately affecting our most vulnerable populations, while also widening the gaps in preexisting health disparities. One of the most shocking amplifications of this is in maternal healthcare.

Top media outlets, including NPR and CNN, have turned to Quality Interactions Co-Founder, Dr. Joseph Betancourt, to better report on the critical issue of health disparities and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Even in the absence of adequate race and ethnicity data, a clear picture of disparities in COVID-19's impact has nonetheless emerged: Black and Latino communities are the hardest hit. This is not due to features of the virus itself, but is an indicator of social conditions—including population density and socioeconomic status—which put black and Latino individuals at higher risk for contracting and perishing from the respiratory illness.

Dr. Betancourt is on the front lines of the epidemic at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he serves as Vice President and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, as well as a primary care physician. As a leading expert in health equity, Dr. Betancourt has been named to the City of Boston COVID-19 Health Inequities Task Force, alongside Quality Interactions CEO, Michele Courton Brown.

This summary of Dr. Betancourt's recent interviews provides a primer on how COVID-19 has created a perfect storm for communities of color and offers direction for how municipalities and institutions should apply immediate efforts to stem the tide.

Cross-cultural communication during a health crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable among us. This includes the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. It also includes communities of color, immigrant communities, low-income workers, and the prison population.

As more data emerges that show how social inequities are fueling the pandemic in the United States, it is clear that cultural competency and bias awareness in healthcare is more important than ever.

The healthcare system in many states is overwhelmed by cases of COVID-19 and struggling to secure the resources it needs to safely and effectively treat patients. It may seem like too much to ask for physicians and caregivers to be mindful of cross-cultural communication issues and unconscious bias in such hectic conditions.

But this is precisely the time when skills in cultural competency are most needed. The Three Tenets of Cross-Cultural Communication presented below are a helpful touchstone for all of us to keep in mind as we move forward in our professional interactions—whether they be in the most critical care settings or in other roles no doubt touched by our current reality. They may seem like simple recommendations, but there are concrete ways clinicians can actively exhibit them for maximum effect. They are empathy, curiosity, and respect.

A model for value-based healthcare

As healthcare moves toward a value-based system that rewards positive outcomes over procedures, social determinants of health (SDOH) are a central part of the effort to improve overall health and reduce health disparities.