Every year hundreds of women die from pregnancy-related complications. Over 20,000 women deal with labor and delivery outcomes that they were not prepared to handle. In the United States, women of color are two to four times more likely to die during pregnancy than their white counterparts. Many women of color have reported feeling ignored or dismissed by their health providers. Often unconscious bias and microaggressions have been identified as contributing factors to poor health outcomes and some of the exacerbating factors in healthcare disparity. In Georgia, half of the pregnancy-related deaths are from Black women.
The trauma of receiving poor healthcare often goes unheard of in mainstream media. Even worse, it goes unreported to medical and patient advocacy boards that can help make changes. Scared to discuss more health concerns with the medical field, these women often avoid talking about their experiences and feelings. As this crisis continues to be pointed out in national news and through established public health organizations, it is vital that these women feel that they have providers who can relate, listen to their stories, and guide them to mental health resiliency to become their advocates.
At White Diamond Counseling, we strive to work with our community members to provide a safe environment to explore the importance of minority health. If you or someone you know has experienced healthcare disparity trauma because of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or socioeconomic status, seek counseling.