Grace Advertising & Consulting, Inc.

- 17 - accessHealthNews.net June 2023 Volume 9 | Issue No. 71 T hanks to tireless activism across the nation, the mortality rate gap for Black and white birthing people has finally garnered enough attention to be thoroughly studied. Although social determinants of health are also an obvious factor in this disparity, racial biases and explicit racism on the part of clinicians is now a well- documented element of this gap. Despite the fact that this research is now readily available, the gap remains a problem, prompting people like Wanda Irving to take action. Irving, MPA is a co-founder of Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project (DSMAP) and was the keynote speaker at a session of the Maternal Health Alliance's recent conference. There, she was introduced by Captain Mehran Massoudi, a regional health administrator at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health Region 6. "The Action Plan is a community-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating Black maternal health disparities. The organization was established to honor Wanda's daughter, Dr. Shalon, who passed away from preventable pregnancy complications in January 2017, three weeks after giving birth to her only child. Dr. Shalon was a brilliant researcher and fierce health equity champion. In an effort to continue Dr. Shalon's legacy, Wanda co-founded the maternal action project, where she also serves as president of the board of directors and acting president of the organization. Wanda possesses years of experience in organizational development and community outreach and has led strategic initiatives and programs. Wanda is now fully dedicated to this mission of the Maternal Action Project and utilizes her keen expertise to enhance organizational resources such as Believe Her, an anonymous peer support app aimed to increase awareness of the Black maternal health crisis and promote evidence-based strategies that improve health outcomes for Black women and families. Her work is based on the mantra of Dr. Shalon Irving: 'I see inequity wherever it exists. I'm not afraid to call it by name and work hard to eliminate it. I vow to create a better Earth.' At the Maternal Action Project, we honor Dr. Shalon's vow by working to remove barriers, biases, and disparate practices that impede access to equitable quality care for Black women and pregnant women." Wanda Irving took the stage to tell her daughter's story. "Shalon was a dynamic force. She made significant contributions in the field of public health and fought hard to combat health inequities. In honor of her legacy, Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project was created in 2020. My objective in sharing my story is simply to put a face to the grim mortality statistics so that you can better understand the fierce urgency of now, a term you will hear me repeat several times, and to compel action by policy makers, medical care providers, and communities. Women have been dying for decades at alarming rates, and the rates keep rising. Mental health issues among women are escalating. Communities are losing valuable talent. Society is suffering. Children like Soleil are being left motherless and traumatized. My little granddaughter will never be held in her mommy's arms, or feel the radiating love from that embrace. The loud absence of her mother in her life seems to be increasing as she gets older and faces the magnitude of her loss. To tackle this crisis, it is imperative that we attack the source and not the symptoms. We must take off blinders and see how racism has and continues to impact health outcomes. Agencies like HHS and HRSA must value the input of those most affected and impacted, and include us in crafting solutions if we are to eliminate systemic racism. "I see inequity wherever it exists. I'm not afraid to call it by name and work hard to eliminate it. I vow to create a better Earth." - Dr. Shalon Irving READ MORE

• Cover