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Dr. Jennifer Tang, a Professor of OB-GYN at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, calls for better solutions to maternal health inequities; a new ASTHO blog article examines the impact of rural hospital closures on pregnant people and...
Dr. Jennifer Tang, A Professor of OB-GYN at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, calls for better solutions to maternal health inequities; a new ASTHO blog article examines the impact of rural hospital closures on pregnant people and their babies; Tamara McBride, the Chief of Health Preparedness at the Ohio Department of Health, shares the value of promoting mentorship programs in the public health workforce; and a new ASTHO Legislative Alert addresses the budget impact of the potential federal government shutdown.
ASTHO Webinar: Advancing Maternal Health with Data Equity
National Preparedness Leadership Initiative: Programs
ASTHO Blog: Addressing the Impact of Rural Hospital Closures on Maternal and Infant Health
ASTHO Legislative Alert: Federal Government Shutdown Update: HHS Contingency Plan Released
ROBERT JOHNSON:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Tuesday, September 26, 2023. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
JENNIFER TANG:
Clearly we need better solutions to address these inequities and undo them that we're seeing from maternal outcomes between Black and White patients.
JOHNSON:
Dr. Jennifer Tang is a professor of OB-GYN at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. She says the accountability for cancer care through undoing racism and equity study highlights racial disparities and has inspired improvements at cancer centers in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
TANG:
And by the end of this study, they were able to find that the outcomes for the Black versus White patients were almost at parity, when before there had been a 10% difference. And I want to emphasize that outcomes improved for all patients. The White patients also improved their outcomes, not just the Black patients. But because there was so much inequity for the Black patients, the Black patients saw the greatest benefit.
JOHNSON:
Tang says the study helped guide the ACURE4Moms project that will test interventions to improve maternal care.
TANG:
So we're setting up a maternal warning system so that if a patient has a missed visit or elevated blood pressure, and we hope soon, a warning for low dose aspirin for patients who are eligible to prevent preeclampsia during pregnancy. We're setting up these alerts so that a nurse will be notified from the practice if they have a patient who basically has missed a visit or has elevated blood pressure and make sure that the same protocols are followed for all patients and that patients are being treated differently.
JOHNSON:
Tang adds the project also will work to improve system transparency.
TANG:
We're also planning to show disparities dashboards where we show outcomes such as low birth weight, which is our primary outcome and outcomes such as number of IDI visits that the patient has to attend during pregnancy, etc. We'll be showing those stratified by race you know, Black versus White.
JOHNSON:
The Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative is a partner in the project. Learn more during an ASTHO webinar on Wednesday, October 4 at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Dr. Tang is on the panel. Sign up using the link in the show notes.
Also today, maternal and infant health care in rural communities is at risk when these areas lose their hospitals. Nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed since 2005. ASTHO examines the impact of the closures on pregnant people and their babies in a blog article now online. You can read it using the link in the show notes.
Mentorship is a valuable tool in public health, giving people an opportunity to learn from others and grow into stronger practitioners.
TAMARA MCBRIDE:
I wish I had a mentor when I joined preparedness.
JOHNSON:
Tamra McBride is chief of Health Preparedness at the Ohio Department of Health and a mentor in the state's Preparedness Mentor/Mentee program.
MCBRIDE:
And I think that the mentor/mentee relationship really just anchors an individual and validates their feelings that we're all, you know, building the plane while it's in the air. And you are picked for this job. And so there was something about you that demonstrated that you had the leadership to lead people during the worst parts of the day. And that's during a disaster.
JOHNSON:
McBride's advice to those in mentee programs is they're valuable no matter where they are in their career journey.
MCBRIDE:
Continue to listen. So much of the perception of leadership, especially in our field of preparedness and response is driving and doing, but it's really listening and it's a lot of relationship management and trusting your team. That's how disasters are managed.
JOHNSON:
Finally, this morning, the budget impact of a potential federal government shutdown this weekend is covered in the latest ASTHO Legislative Alert. Find out what a shutdown could mean for public health. Read the latest using the link in the show notes.
We'd also like to remind you to follow this newscast on your podcast player and ASTHO on social media. We're on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Robert Johnson. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.
