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Minority Women
HOST ON CAMERA INTRO
When it comes to healthcare, most Americans understand the need for regular check-ups, prenatal visits and insurance coverage. But others, often in minority or low-income communities, struggle with how to get basic medical care. But there is hope. You're about to meet some special people who are helping minority women overcome huge hurdles and get the care they need.
HOST V/O
America... a true melting pot. Researchers estimate nearly thirty percent of people living in the United States are considered an ethnic or racial minority. Often, it's low-income minorities who face barriers to proper healthcare. Twenty-one year old Antonia Gonzalez moved to America from Mexico less than a year ago.
Antonia Gonzalez
"It is very difficult because I come here from a place where I know everything and I know how to do things. But I come here and I have to depend on someone to do almost everything."
HOST V/O
That's where "A Woman's Place" comes in. Jamie Babbits (babb-itz) is the director of this division of St. Mary's Hospital, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Jamie Babbitts, A Woman's Place Director
"I think there is always a need for outreach, education, access, support for women and families and especially those that are not a culture that has been here for a while and understand how our healthcare system works."
HOST V/O
Part of that understanding includes the idea of preventive care. Antonia was recently married and interested in starting a family.
Antonia Gonzalez
"I found a brochure about A Woman's Place. They were offering reproductive cancer screening free for low-income women. So I called Carol and I made an appointment with her."
HOST V/O
Carol Ponce (POHN-say) helps Spanish-speaking patients get information on healthcare and social services available to them. She arranged for Antonia to have her first ever Pap test. After getting a clean bill of health... she got word that she's two months pregnant.
Antonia Gonzalez
"Si, tengo dos meses."
HOST V/O
Many communities have resources similar to those of "a woman's place," stocked with books, pamphlets and videos on various medical and everyday life topics. Hispanic women are twice as likely as white women to be uninsured.
Jamie Babbitts, A Woman's Place Director
"The idea of paying up front for something so that they can have services done later just, you know, is something that doesn't make sense at first for people."
HOST V/O
Antonia says she's grateful for all of the help she's received from "A Woman's Place." She's learning a lot about her pregnancy, making new friends and adjusting to her community. With motherhood looming, Antonia has a lot to smile about.
Antonia Gonzalez
"What I'm looking forward to in the future is to have a good labor and delivery and to have a healthy child. Then I want to learn English and have a job to be able to help my family."
HOST V/O
Atlanta, Georgia, its a large city known for its diverse population. Navigating the streets by car can be a challenge. But for Shannon Starr, getting around presents a whole different problem.
Shannon Starr, Patient
"I don't have a car so I have to take public transportation, which I have to actually be on their schedule."
HOST V/O
Moving around is difficult, in general, right now because Shannon's in the final weeks of her pregnancy. But because she has diabetes, her pregnancy is considered "high-risk," and she has to see her doctor more often than other women.
Shannon Starr, Patient
"With normal pregnancies, I think around your last 6 to 8 weeks, you go every week. But for me, from start to finish, I have to go every week."
NAT SOUND
She's forcing me to set 36 weeks.
HOST V/O
Shannon's doctor is Michael Lindsay (lind-zee,) a professor of maternal fetal medicine at Emory University. At Grady memorial hospital in Atlanta, he sees high-risk patients on a regular basis. Diabetics, such as Shannon, have to monitor their blood sugar level even more carefully when they're pregnant. Diabetes can lead to overly large babies, birth defects and pre-term delivery.
Michael Lindsay, MD, FACOG
"One of the risks is that these babies lungs are not developed, so even if they're born at the appropriate time, they're at high risk of having lung disease.
HOST V/O
For Shannon, being African American increases her risk of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Minority populations, regardless of income, may be two or three times more likely to deliver their babies early.
Michael Lindsay, MD, FACOG
"If you deliver pre-term, then the baby is at risk of having certain complications. In fact, they're at risk of potentially dying, you know, after they're delivered."
HOST V/O
Ready access to prenatal care and Medicaid has helped Shannon cope with pre-term labor. She's a model patient now, but it hasn't always been that way. She got pregnant with her first son when she was just 14 years old.
Shannon Starr, Patient
"I think I was almost 4 months before I started getting prenatal care. I was scared. I didn't know what to say, how to tell."
Michael Lindsay, MD, FACOG
"You know sometimes you wonder if what you're saying of registering to the patient. But she's a good example as you get a chance to see them as they mature."
HOST V/O
Shannon has grown to be a responsible 24-year-old. She's living with her husband and three children in the McDaniel Glenn apartments, a government housing area in southeast Atlanta. If you ask her, she'll tell you it's not an ideal situation. There's paint peeling off the walls. The neighborhood kids are rowdy. But for the time being, it's home.
Shannon Starr, Patient
"I'm planning on getting out of here. I'm going to try to find me a house somewhere where my kids will have a yard, a fenced in yard where they can play and run and they can leave their stuff in the yard and when they come back out, it's still there.
HOST V/O
For now, Shannon has had a lot of time to reflect, thanks to the hospital visits for her pre-term labor. From the stark walls of this room, she's formulated a plan for her life... after her baby is born and healthy.
Shannon Starr, Patient
"First of all I want to finish school and get my GED and it'll either be a surgical technician or a physical therapist."
"When she comes I'll be happy. My kids... they're looking forward to it. Everybody's looking forward to it."
HOST ON CAMERA TAG
Regardless of socio-economic status, certain minority populations may be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other serious conditions. Your doctor or clinic can help you assess your risk factors and formulate a plan for optimal health.
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