Do You Trust Me?

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This week, my pastor's theme at church was trust, which apparently is at an all-time low in all our institutions—the church, the government, and medicine.

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This last one was personal: when did we, physicians, lose your trust? When did we stop being your heroes?

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The world is just beginning to exhale from a pandemic in which physicians had become warriors, risking their lives daily in the war against COVID-19.?

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Necessity being the mother of invention, we re-invented the wheel and reused masks and gowns when supply chains broke down. We isolated ourselves from family and friends to keep them safe while we risked our lives in a battle, we trained for but never expected to face, and many lost the fight. For those who survived the physical onslaught, many succumbed to depression, anxiety, and stress, still alive but not living.?

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But we were heroes; NY streets rang out with cheers at hospital shift change to acknowledge the contributions of those returning to the front lines of the war on COVID-19.

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But now we have lost your trust because COVID-19 disproportionally affected specific individuals and groups, reflecting long-standing disparities and inequalities in ?health, healthcare, and in society.

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To prevent another pandemic, we must address the social inequalities that made society susceptible.

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We must earn your trust again in our public health measures and in us, your physicians.

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To do that, we need to address the elements of trust.

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You trust when you feel understood. – do you know what it is like to be a minority in America??

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Having a Black friend or family member means nothing if you can't discuss race or, worse if you refuse to accept that systemic racism still exists. We cannot fix what we don't acknowledge.

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You trust when you feel someone's motive aligns with yours – do you want me to be successful??

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The most recent example is the backlash against Beyonce's country music album. I have not listened to the album, and? I am no music scholar. But I watched a much-repeated TikTok of a non-melaninated ISU nursing student who reported that if you are Black, you are not country. She felt confident enough to inform Texas-born Beyonce that even though she may have been raised in the country, her ancestors were "picking not planting, they were not making money, they were being sold for money," hence not country.?

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While that may be true, I am sure that Ms. Carter's present income tax bracket will compensate for many generations of picking cotton, and this young lady may wish she had chosen a different target for her history lesson.

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Your trust when you feel that someone is capable – do you have the skills and or connections to help me reach my goal?

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According to BlackgirlNerds (at the intersection of geek culture and Black feminism, their tagline), Black women are responsible for two-thirds of all bachelor's degrees earned by African Americans. We pursue higher degrees in direct opposition to systems invested in our failure.

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You trust when you feel that someone is like you need them to be in character. – are you an ally? Do you know what that requires?

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Show up:? attend the marches, sign the petitions.

Speak up: ?be intolerant of intolerance; confront racism yours and others.

Understand that you have privilege: that doesn’t mean that you grew up rich, but opportunity is currency? and transfer? the benefits of privilege to those who do not have it.

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You trust when you have seen them perform before in the way you need—are you competent? Who have you helped to reach their goals?

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Whether we want the position or not, we are role models for younger generations, and you can only claim success in your career if you have mentored the next generation.

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The trust that first needs to be rebuilt is within our community.

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We, as minority physicians, need to be allies – to hold each other accountable for supporting each other and the next generation.

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?Skin-folk need to be kinfolk.?

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?April is Minority Health Month, the time to start rebuilding trust.

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April 11-17th is Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW). This is held annually to bring attention and action to improving Black maternal health.?

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This is our first call to action; the recent death of Krystal Anderson, the Kansas City Chief's cheerleader who died at age 40 after the stillbirth of her baby girl from sepsis, should not just be a social media "thoughts and prayers" meme.

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The theme for 2024 BMHW is "Our Bodies Still Belong to Us:?Reproductive Justice NOW". Widespread restrictions on abortion access coupled with rising cases of criminalization due to pregnancy loss continue to widen the gaps of adverse maternal and birth outcomes in the US".

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Black women have the highest maternal mortality in the United States, almost 3x the rate of their white counterparts. This is according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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Black babies are more likely to die and more likely to be born prematurely, which sets the stage for long-term health issues. And the cycle of social injustice begins at birth.

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The most common complaint from Black mothers is that doctors don't take their complaints seriously. A recent YouTube video of Dr. Jackie from Married to Medicine demonstrated this from one of our own. She lamented that Black women exaggerate their symptoms; the cognitive dissonance that a Black OB-GYN was speaking this to another Black woman was astounding.?? She has now apologized, but only after a social media backlash.

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The work needs to begin within our community. Let it start now with Black Maternal Health Week.

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So, I ask again, "Do you trust me?"

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