FIVE MINUTES WITH...
DR. JOANNE ARMSTRONG EXECUTIVE MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND CMO FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH AND GENOMICS AT CVS HEALTH ON TACKLING RACIAL DISPARITIES IN WOMEN'S HEALTH
Q.WHAT RACIAL DISPARITIES AFFECT WOMEN'S HEALTHCARE?
» Black women have three to four
times the rate of maternal death compared to white women, as well as twice the rate of severe maternal morbidities like stroke, seizures, and cardiac events. Preeclampsia (sudden-onset high blood pressure during pregnancy) is a leading cause of severe maternal morbidity, maternal death, preterm birth, low birthweight, and associated medical costs – and it’s 60% more common in Black women vs. white women. This can be reduced in many cases with low-dose aspirin. Although some disparities can be explained by risk factors, deeply ingrained, unrecognised bias within the healthcare delivery system also plays an important role. Black women are on the receiving end of this bias, a situation that contributes to a breakdown in communication among providers and patients and negatively impacts a woman’s influence over her own care.
Q. WHAT IS CVS HEALTH DOING TO ADDRESS THIS?
“ MY ASPIRATION IS FOR MATERNAL HEALTH SERVICES AND RESOURCES TO BE MORE ACCESSIBLE AND EQUITABLE IN OUR COUNTRY” 22
June 2021
»To promote maternal health,
Aetna, a CVS Health business, offers the Aetna Maternity Program, an initiative that provides family planning resources, access to nurses and maternity resources and more. The program leverages predictive analytics to identify women who may be at risk for pregnancyrelated complications and creates interventions that help to close that risk through behavioural nudges.