Women's Health Week 2022

By Jaimee Reggio, Managing Director, US Healthcare

Each year, Women’s Health Week in May serves as a reminder for women everywhere to evaluate their physical and mental well-being and to prioritize taking care of themselves and their health. However, it comes as no surprise that the conversation around women’s health brings with it a history of healthcare disparities that negatively affect all women, especially those who are part of marginalized communities around the world.

The health struggles women face are the reality of active disparities in women’s healthcare. When I think about women’s health, I think about all the women that I love and respect in my life and care so deeply about. And I think about my mom, who passed away eight years ago from metastatic breast cancer.

My mom lived in fear of her own health and of doctors for her entire life, which is why her condition was discovered when it had already progressed to a stage three diagnosis. Now, I sit here eight years later thinking about all that she has been unable to be a part of because of that experience.

I learned a lot from my mom when she was sick about why her condition was discovered too late. In healthcare, we always talk about awareness and how awareness prompts action. And action can improve outcomes, depending on how quickly you move, when you notice something feels wrong, or when you talk to your doctor. It truly pains me to think that anyone would be fearful of healthcare professionals or a diagnosis, because that fear stops action, leading to the possibility for issues to progress down a darker path.

I believe the most powerful tools we, as women, have for taking our healthcare into our own hands are the stories and voices of other women who are experiencing the same health challenges alongside us. There is so much happening right now in this stage in my life, and I would be lost without the stories of my girlfriends, the women in my family, and others that I read about on social media and other channels. It is through them that I gather information, learn new things, and am inspired to take care of myself, seek out support, and feel normal in what I’m going through. I think my mom could have benefited from having a similar experience.

There is a great deal of power in hearing other female voices that can help foster greater change in healthcare for women around the world. Storytelling and information sharing are some of the most powerful mediums that we have to enable our own healthcare and effect change in women’s health. Vulnerability and empathy in storytelling is so important, as it encourages us to listen to one another without judgement. There are things that happen to women that men don’t experience, that can be seen as embarrassing or stigmatized. I think we, as women, need to be able to lean on one another and have the opportunity to share and connect without judgement but with trust and understanding.

Our shared health experiences as women allow us to endure change, pain, and the unknown in solidarity. There is immense power in that. This ties back to what we do at Golin Health every single day and the power we have as healthcare communicators to connect and raise those voices, ensuring that they are being amplified and heard by others. That is what we do, and it is why I love what I do.

We have an incredible opportunity to identify voices that represent people who are living with various health conditions. I see it as our responsibility to ensure those voices represent a diverse population of women. It is imperative that we, as healthcare communicators, are not just elevating the stories of white women as part of the storytelling, because that only scratches the surface in terms of our opportunity to impact health disparities through storytelling.

We work in a female-dominated industry and it is important to recognize the capability and power we have to make a real impact with our own voices, whether that be on our social channels, through sharing our own experiences, or through the work we do with our clients in making sure that women are represented in the work we create with them.

Seeking out diverse voices and ensuring the channels we utilize are representative and inclusive is non-negotiable in this industry. Being culturally sensitive in our communications and speaking the language of women allows us to tailor our messaging to a diverse female-identifying audience. Healthcare messaging for women is not one size fits all.

Women’s health is global health. When we as Golin Health, a healthcare PR and communications agency, create and communicate about different healthcare topics, women are a part of all those stories. Whether it be rare disease, oncology, or diversity in clinical trials – women and women’s health play an important role in ensuring health outcomes are positive for all, not just some. It is our job to make sure women are included in the stories we tell and in the stories we help our clients tell.

That, to me, is why addressing women’s health and amplifying the disparities within it is so critical. Without health, none of us are able to accomplish our dreams, goals, and aspirations or do the things that fill us up. Without our health, it makes it that much more challenging to achieve equity in other aspects of life for women, around the world, who so desperately need it.

Let’s tell our stories.