Are you a Black woman who has been ignored or brushed off by your doctor?
Have you ever felt unheard or dismissed in a doctor's office or hospital setting?
Many women feel like they aren't being heard — but if you're a Black woman in America, the answer is likely a resounding yes. Systematic racism affects both access to quality medical care and the way women of color receive primary care, mental health services, maternal health care and more.
These disparities start at the very beginning of life: Babies born to African American mothers are dying at twice the rate as infants born to non-Hispanic white mothers — and the risk of those mothers dying in childbirth is 3-4 times higher than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Today, African Americans are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. 11% of African Americans polled said they knew someone who has died from the virus, compared with 4% of white Americans.
Have you had an experience where you felt you weren't heard by a health care professional — or you couldn't get access to the medical treatment you needed due to your race? We want to hear from you.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
