Public Health over Individual Inconvenience

My dad and I on the front lines in Indiana and North Carolina.

Regardless of where you live, the inequities of our society during Covid are glaringly clear.

The only Covid+ patients I (and my colleagues) have taken care of since March are Black and Hispanic. Their stories are all similar.

They cannot social distance - they have been the essential workers that don’t have the luxury or protections to stay at home.

In North Carolina, our population is 10% LatinX, but our most recent data reveals LatinX patients are 46% of our state’s Covid diagnoses. Y’all. THIS IS SYSTEMIC RACISM.

My dad’s Covid patients have all been incarcerated.

Something tells me this is exactly why our country is “ready to open” and it makes me furious.

When Covid was starting to impact the US, I read the following quote by @anandwrites that explains it perfectly:

“Coronavirus makes clear what has been true all along. Your health is as safe as the worst-insured, worst-cared-for person in your society. It will be determined by the height of the floor, not the ceiling.”

This isn’t going to get better for anyone until Americans begin to care more about public health than individual inconvenience.

Think about that when you judge someone for wearing a mask or someone who is continuing to social distance despite restaurants, bars, and beaches being open.

Every day I pray for the safety of my family, coworkers, friends, and our forgotten patients who continue to have their families devastated. 

This is NOT a game. 

This is NOT a hoax. 

Please stay home.

Want to learn more about the Covid-19 pandemic and health disparities?:

Covid-19 Amplifies Racial Disparities in Maternal Health 

Why COVID-19 Disproportionately Impacts Latino Communities

Racism is a Pandemic Too: White Coats for Black Lives

Black people are fighting for their lives in two pandemics - coronavirus AND racism. #WhiteCoatsForBlackLives #BlackLivesMatter #BlackMamasMatter

The last two weeks have been unbelievably heartbreaking and overwhelming for us all. This is a critical moment in our history as a country.

For the new followers, thanks for following and diversifying the content of your feed.

I am a Black woman, wife, mother, and Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellow in North Carolina. I am a doctor who takes care of women with pregnancy complications.

I am also a physician activist. My research focus is Black maternal health and ending the unacceptable disparities (a product of racism) that devastate Black families.

My content is the intersection of all of my identities and has been from the day I wrote my first blog post August 2010. I have always sought to use my platform to inspire others to follow their dreams - there weren’t many Black mother physicians in social media and I knew from experience that “you can’t be what you can’t see”.

For anyone who finds themself here looking for direction on how to be a part of the change, I will share with you what I shared this past weekend on a zoom panel about race:

Everyone’s platform is not going to be Instagram. It may not be videos on YouTube. It may not be giving speeches or presenting research, but we all have a platform.

Our platform is our sphere of influence. It is your home, your school, your job, your church group, and your vote.

It is more critical than ever for you to use your voice. Speak up when you see something that isn’t right. Speak up when you see that someone is mistreated.

It is this country’s culture of silence and indifference after witnessed injustice over generations that has gotten us here.

It is going to take more than thoughts, prayers, and well-meaning texts to your Black friends to get us out.

Please step up, and get ready for the journey because we are just getting started. #blacklivesmatter #blackdoctorsmatter #whitecoatsforblacklives

Racism is a Pandemic Too