Implicit biases in health care are costing Black moms — and their babies — their lives. Tell Naval Medical Center Portsmouth to provide implicit bias training for its staff!
John,
LeeAnn Bienaime was feeling nervous and excited to become a new mom. But late last month, when LeeAnn went to the hospital with ‘intense’ contractions, she was sent home by the medical staff at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. Just a few hours later, she gave birth to her baby in her bathtub.1 Luckily, her baby is healthy, but this situation could have been dangerous. Too often, Black women are forced to make do with health care professionals who don’t respond to our needs and don’t believe our pain. This is the result of implicit biases in health care, which cost Black moms — and their babies — their lives. But, through implicit bias training, hospitals can reduce the number of Black women who are having negative experiences while in their care.
Black moms are not being treated with the respect and dignity they deserve, particularly during childbirth. But, implicit bias training has the potential to change this for Black moms across the country. In California, for instance, Color Of Change recently helped to pass a maternal health care bill that will reduce preventable, pregnancy-related deaths by requiring medical institutions to train staff to unlearn biases and misinformation.2 This kind of training is crucial, and can be the difference between life and death for Black moms.
Tell Naval Medical Center Portsmouth to institute implicit bias training for its staff!
Black mothers face disparate outcomes regardless of their wealth or class. Even superstars like Serena Williams and Beyoncé have faced life-threatening complications during the delivery of their children. When they told medical staff about their pain, the staff didn’t listen.3 This kind of behavior is not unusual. Medical staff have historically discriminated against Black people. In fact, supposed progress in the field has often come at the expense of Black women who were forced to endure inhumane medical treatments. For example, the so-called Father of Gynecology, James Marion Sims, conducted research on enslaved Black women without anesthesia.4 Today’s medical treatments are built on this racism, and harmful implicit biases remain pervasive in medical institutions.
Implicit biases in health care are causing our people unnecessary suffering, and we must take action to hold medical institutions accountable. Join us in calling on Naval Medical Center Portsmouth to provide implicit bias training for its staff.
Until justice is real,
—Brandi, Rashad, Arisha, Evan, Johnny, Future, Samantha, Eesha, Marcus, FolaSade, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References:
- “Black mother gives birth to baby in a bathtub after being turned away from hospital,” The Root, September 19, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/186181?t=8&akid=36367%2E4731121%2EKi4iGi
- Office of Senator Holly Mitchell, SB 464, 12 March 2019, http://act.colorofchange.org/go/130339?t=10&akid=36367%2E4731121%2EKi4iGi
- “Beyoncé, Serena Williams open up about potentially fatal childbirths, a problem especially for black mothers,” Washington Post, 07 August 2018, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/130340?t=12&akid=36367%2E4731121%2EKi4iGi
- “The ‘Father of Gynecology’ performed shocking experiments on slaves,” History.com, 29 August 2017, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/130341?t=14&akid=36367%2E4731121%2EKi4iGi
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