Access Limited: A Brief Examination of Black Health History, Modern Systems and Racial Inequalities
It’s Black History Month. The theme this year is “Black Health and Wellness.” Nationally as well as internationally, this year’s theme is intended to provide a platform for all of us to recognize the contributions of the Black health practitioner, traditional or otherwise.
Recent history celebrates these accomplishments—and I am certain others will spend the requisite amount of time highlighting the fundamental elements of these contributions to modern medicine and the health care industry overall. My time (I believe) will be best spent focusing on Black health historically, the modern systems that treat patients differently and highlight just a few existing inequities.
One of today’s many posts under the Linked Inclusion Community Topic, “Black History Articles, Videos, Events,” I posted the article from Johns Hopkins Medicine entitled, “Honoring Henrietta: The Legacy of Henrietta Lacks.” Henrietta Lacks, according to the article, visited The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Mrs. Lacks, a Black patient, was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Throughout the course of her treatment there at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Mrs. Lacks underwent a procedure where a “sample of her cancer cells [were] retrieved during a biopsy.”
According to The Johns Hopkins Hospital records, a researcher had been “collecting cells from patients – regardless of their race or socioeconomic status – who came to The Johns Hopkins Hospital with cervical cancer, but each sample quickly died…”
Unlike other cancer cell samples, Mrs. Lacks’ cancer cells did not die. In fact, “Mrs. Lacks’ cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours.” Mrs. Lacks’ cells continued to flourish and were ultimately given the nickname “HELA” (HE (Henrietta) LA (Lacks)) cells. Mrs. Lacks’ HELA cells are foundational to and have advanced the field of medicine. Her HELA cells were instrumental in the development of COVID-19 vaccines. I invite you to research the rich Black History of Mrs. Lacks’ HELA cells.
A Black medical patient, Mrs. Lacks, is singularly responsible for more than a half a century of medical advancements; however, Black medical patients and other patients of color are routinely last in line to receive the benefits. Though HELA cells are responsible for successful COVID-19 research, Black communities as well as other communities of color have been severely impacted by the pandemic, when compared to other communities.
The field of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), specifically gynecology for my discussion here, began in 1844, with Dr. James Marion Sims. Medical historians refer to him as “the father of modern gynecology.” Check the date. Dr. Sims developed his craft on enslaved Black women. According to author, Deirdre Cooper Owens, in her award-winning book, “Medical Bondage: Race, Gender and the Origins of American Gynecology,” he “famously performed his experiments on enslaved women in Alabama, including Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsy, who he leased for purposes of gynecological experimentation.”
Dr. Sims performed some thirty experimental surgeries on one of his enslaved patients. Noteworthy, anesthesia was not used during these experiments. Dr. Sims went on to become the president of the American Medical Association and the American Gynecological Society as a direct result of medical advancements made through his extensive experimentation on enslaved women.
Black enslaved women are the foundation of the field of gynecology. When looking at the field of obstetrics, today, maternal mortality “disproportionately affects Black women.” According to researchers Rolanda L. Lister, Wonder Drake, Cornelia Graves et al, among the chief reasons Black women are affected when compared to White women, is “racial bias of providers and perceived racial discrimination from patients (the elephant in the room) impacts Black patients’ trust in their providers and the medical community at large.”
According to blackdoctor.org, maternal mortality is “2.3 to 2.6 times higher among non-Hispanic Black Women than non-Hispanic White Women.” Again, though Black Women are key to the advancements in modern medicine and humanity, bias and discrimination continue threaten her existence and that of her family.
From my perspective and as founder of Linked Inclusion™, “Black Health and Wellness” is a focus on these Black women, mothers, leaders. This is the single most important opportunity to shine a light on the blatant limits on access and reiterate the need for allyship.
Padraic Mc Freen is Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Linked Inclusion Corporation, San Francisco, CA