GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina health care system is working to close the gap on health disparities when it comes to Black maternal health. A Winston-Salem-area OBGYN said there are policies and training in place to make sure patients are seen and heard.

What You Need To Know

  • Novant Health is working to address how implicit and explicit bias can impact the health and wellness and quality of care they can deliver to Black mothers
  • The health system has created new policies, education and training for all their health care providers 
  • They’ve reduced their C-section rate for Black mothers, making it equal to other ethnicities

Dr. Jaleema Speaks is an OBGYN and lead women's physician for Novant Health at the Forsyth Medical Center.

“I love women's health, and I think the spectrum of all types of care that we're able to provide when women are, they're most excited and feel the most vulnerable. And that longitudinal relationship in someone's wellness is what I value the most about my job,” Speaks said.

Her passion for cultivating healthy relationships with her patients is why she and other providers say they are working to improve health outcomes and close health care gaps.

“We want to address that implicit and explicit bias can impact the health and wellness, as well as the quality of care that we deliver. So making sure that our health care providers, from our nurses, to our, physicians and nurse practitioners, nurse midwives have healthy conversation around that and have some education and to learn about ways we can, address that within ourselves,” Speaks said.

One of the biggest things they’ve done is reducing the C-section rate for Black mothers, making it equal to other ethnicities. According to Speaks, C-sections can lead to more blood loss, infections and risk of injury.

“We've noticed that Black women have a higher primary C-section rate compared to other races and ethnicities, and that may be something that may contribute to the higher morbidity and mortality rate around delivery,” Speaks said.

This medical center has also increased its education, by watching the documentary "Aftershock," showing what happens when providers don’t listen to patients. More than 400 providers across the system participated.

“Unfortunate outcome of the patients highlighted in that documentary was that their concerns were not addressed, and they were not heard. And that unfortunately ended in tragic results,” Speaks said.

That education has made a difference in how Novant Health helps its patients, like Faith Felton-Miller, a former patient of Speaks.

“When I told them that I was having problems with pelvic floor issues, and she told me there's a resource, and not only did she tell me there's a resource, she gave me the information on how to get into it, put the referral in, and I was called the same day I was able to get scheduled and completed the entire program, and that that was life-changing for me, for my baby, for my husband,” Felton-Miller said.

Felton-Miller said it’s important to speak up for yourself.

“Important for women of color to be their own champions and advocates for their own health and it requires us to to kind of stand up and say, 'hey, I don't have to just lay back and let someone else be in the driver's seat,'” Felton-Miller said.

The medical center is also helping with outside resources, so mothers feel comfortable bedside.

“So, making sure we arm our patients with resources in our communities, such as doulas, and making sure that we have practices and policies in our hospitals and facilities, that that welcome an environment of, speaking up and having supportive, support members like doulas at the bedside to to help navigate those conversations and really valuing the importance of the relationship that's formed when you have good prenatal care,” Speaks said.

And Speaks says no matter the provider, women should feel empowered to raise their voices if there is concern about their care.

“Health outcomes, safe health care is something that all of our patients deserve, regardless of what national statistics may indicate,” Speaks said.

Speaks says Novant Health is continuing to make strides and efforts to make sure patients feel seen and heard.

The U.S. News and World Report has recognized the Forsyth Medical Center as one of the 26 medical centers that has improved health care for Black mothers and their babies.