{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Dr. Tunde-Byass and Jennifer Dockery: Transforming Pain into Purpose","description":"Black maternal health in Canada requires collective change, and that belief is exactly what sparked Toronto\u2019s first Black Maternal Health Week. Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass, OB-GYN (NYGH) and President-Elect (FMWC), and Jennifer Dockery, Vice President, Quality, Post-Acute Care & Community Integration at North York General Hospital are determined to spotlight gaps in care and amplify the voices of Black mothers. In this episode of Healthcare Change Makers, Dr. Tunde-Byass and Jennifer talk candidly about why there is limited data about Black maternal health in Canada, what data is available, and what healthcare organizations can do today to better support Black families and patients. They also share a bit about their own career journey, including launching Canada\u2019s first racially concordant mentorship program. Quotables: \u201cThe biggest advice that I would give to other leaders on walking into uncharted territory is don\u2019t do it alone. Change doesn\u2019t happen in silos.\u201d \u2013 JD "You need to start by listening, really listening, to the communities that you're aiming to serve. Their voices will actually help to guide the process \u2013 they're critical to it." \u2013 JD \u201cI think it\u2019s important to understand that the black population accounts for 4.5% of the total Canadian population but is only represented by 2.3% physicians who identify as Black. So, you can see there are some gaps there and some underrepresentation.\u201d \u2013 Dr. TB \u201cThe impact of anti-Black racism on Black maternal health is well documented as a crisis in the USA. It\u2019s now being recognized as an urgent health issue affecting Black women and pregnant people and families in Canada.\u201d \u2013 JD \u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing is the higher deaths of Black women in preventable diseases like breast cancer. And also, the fact that when breast cancer occurs, these women are being affected by this disease in their 40s even before they get to the point of mammograms at the age of 50.\u201d \u2013 Dr. TB \u201cShining a light on these dark realities is important. And that was the essence of Black Maternal Health Week in Canada. The important thing is we\u2019re not ignored, so we have allies and people who are interested in changing the status quo.\u201d \u2013 Dr. TB \u201cMy hope is there will be an awareness that Black Maternal Health Week isn\u2019t just about Black mothers. It\u2019s actually about a broader truth that women as a group have long been marginalized in healthcare. They\u2019ve been denied access, they\u2019ve been dismissed, they\u2019ve been undervalued. And within that reality, Black women, Indigenous women, and other women of colour actually bear the heaviest burden.\u201d \u2013 JD \u201cThe first step of healthcare organizations supporting Black mothers and families is recognizing that equity isn\u2019t a project. It actually has to be something that gets woven into the culture, the system, and the daily practices of care.\u201d \u2013 JD Mentioned in this Episode: \u00b7       North York General Hospital \u00b7       NYGH Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic \u00b7       Black Physicians of Canada \u00b7       Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FMWC) \u00b7       HIROC \u00b7       Toronto Black Maternal Health Week \u00b7       Jenelle Ambrose Dash \u00b7       Black Maternal Health Collective Canada \u00b7       City of Toronto Access More Interviews with Healthcare Leaders at HIROC.com\/podcast Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram, and listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your favourite podcasts. Email us at Communications@HIROC.com. ","author_name":"Healthcare Change Makers","author_url":"http:\/\/www.hiroc.com","html":"