womens healthcare

We must hold Institutions, Doctors, and other Healthcare Providers Accountable for Obstetric/Gynecological Violence Against Women & Birthing People  On Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 1:00pm I was treated abusively and given substandard medical care by my then obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Michelle Yvette Francis, at Mount Sinai in New York, NY. I was insulted and on the receiving end of undue shouting, foot stomping, offensive racial remarks, and the waving of vaginal medical instruments wildly in the air before they entered my body. My healthcare concerns were dismissed and left undocumented in my post appointment notes, my body was pathologized and disrespected. The experience was traumatic, but unfortunately mistreatment of OBGYN patients is pervasive throughout the healthcare system and is a peculiar form of violence against women.  Legislation is required to protect patients from going through what I endured or worse. Mount Sinai reached out to partner with me to use my experience as a case study, but when I followed up it became clear there was never positive intent, now they want to sweep this under the rug. Help prevent the erasure of my experience and others by staying connected with me after signing, click through here.  I was given subhuman treatment, Mount Sinai tried to put my pain on display for faculty and when they could not exploit my trauma, they discarded me without anyone taking accountability for how Dr. Francis treated me while profiting from abusiveness.  I have blogged about my experience on Medium.com | Read Anatomy of a Self-Hating Black Women Series Please Support this list of Demands: Dr. Michelle Y. Francis apologize to Roslyn J. Smith in person with a mediator of Ms. Smith’s choice present. Dr. Michelle Y. Francis be suspended and take retraining on patient experience, emotional intelligence, anger management and cultural competency, overseen by someone independent from the Mount Sinai Health System network. Dr. Michelle Y. Francis be restricted from treating OBGYN patients without supervision for the remainder of her tenure in medicine.   Emails to the following would really help (Template Below): 1.      Kenneth Davis, CEO and President, Mount Sinai Health Systems: kenneth.davis@mountsinai.org 2.      Erica Rubenstein, Vice President of Patient Experience: erica.rubinstein@mountsinai.org 3.      Joanne Stone, Department Chair, Ob/Gyn: joanne.stone@mssm.edu 4.      Toni Stern, System Vice Chair Quality and Clinical Transformation, Chief Patient Experience Officer, toni.stern@mssm.edu, 5.      Andres Moreira, Senior Director, Patient Experience, Diversity Council Co-Chair: andres.moreira@mountsinai.org 6.      Mount Sinai Patient Relations: MSWpatientrelations@mountsinai.org You are welcome to CC or BCC me via email info@RoslynSmith.com or share on social media @rahzlioness  #OBGYNJustice  #BreaktheSilence #SupportRoslyn  Health providers have a responsibility to treat everyone with respect including their own colleagues. In 2019 Mount Sinai was sued by female staff for gender harassment and discrimination, there is a culture among the ranks that enabled my mistreatment while I was a patient. The experience I had resonates with many women and particularly women of color throughout the healthcare system.  I hope that by spreading awareness and encouraging others to break the silence, our leaders will enact policies to protect women and eradicate obstetric-gynecological violence. If you would like to stay connected in this advocacy or have experienced mistreatment from Dr. Michelle Y. Francis and/or obstetric-gynecological violence at Mount Sinai in NYC, then please reach out to me:  Stay Connected With Roslyn J. Smith [Email Template, Copy/Paste]:  Dear [Director Name] My name is [Name] and I am a [role] at [company/industry name or concerned citizen]. I am writing to ask that you address obstetric and gynecological violence within your hospital.  Specifically, I read Ms. Roslyn Smith’s experience with Dr. Michelle Yvette Francis. Surely we can agree that her OBGYN appointment did not meet the standard of quality care. I was most struck by [insert part of Roslyn’s experience]. This mistreatment is unacceptable, Dr. Francis should be held accountable and apologize to Ms. Smith.  This issue is important because [describe your personal experience with this issue and how it has affected either you or someone you care about]. When women and birthing people are not treated well by OBGYNs or other healthcare providers it sows seeds of community distrust and discourages necessary preventative health screenings. The public should be able to trust doctors and healthcare providers. That is why I strongly urge you to consider implementing an open and transparent system that would hold faculty accountable when they miss the mark.  Thank you for your time. I hope that this letter gets you to start thinking about this important issue and ways to tangibly solve it. I also look forward to hearing back from you soon. Sincerely, [Your Name] ________________________ Thank you for your support! #OBGYNJustice  #BreaktheSilence #WeDeserveBetter

***After the recent election, the governor of Georgia was re-elected. The same man who signed and passed the 6 week heartbeat bill. Most do not find out that they are pregnant until almost 5 weeks, usually after a missed period. Many may question what the future holds for those with uteruses and where to go from here. We — as a collective — must make changes so future generations don’t have to feel the fear that we do. Now is the time to push our representatives to hear our voice.***With the recent turn of events as Roe v Wade was overturned in the Supreme Court, it is now up to the states to decide how they regulate abortion rights for women and those who biologically have a uterus. That includes medical abortions that endanger the lives of those if they had to carry the pregnancy to full term. That includes those who fall victim to rape and/or incest. The human right to these procedures could be taken away and lead to injury or death for those who cannot get to a proper medical treatment, but also cause long lasting emotional and mental trauma. With this petition, I hope to keep one of our basic fundamental rights as humans to body autonomy here in the state of Georgia. If we could get enough voices to be heard, our congressman need to solidify the safety of the citizens of this state.

I am a woman living with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a condition often diagnosed alongside insulin resistance. Like many others, I feel let down by insurance companies, particularly Florida Blue/ BCBS, which currently does not cover the cost of Tirzepatide (Mounjaro (FDA Approved for Type 2 Diabetes effective in treating Insulin Resistance, FDA Approved Zepbound effective in treating Weight Loss) - This is a crucial medication for managing our condition.PCOS affects approximately 1 in 10 women of childbearing age and is often associated with insulin resistance. This makes it harder for us to control our blood sugar levels and increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Tirzepatide has been shown to significantly improve blood sugar control and reduce body weight. Thus managing the weight gain from PCOS. However, without coverage from insurance companies like Florida Blue/BCBS , this life-changing treatment remains out of reach for many. Florida Blue/BCBS states in their Bariatric Weight loss Surgery requirements that "Does not have a medically treatable cause for obesity (e.g., thyroid or other endocrine disorder)" This means that even if you have Morbid obesity and need a weight loss surgery they will not treat it because they believe that PCOS is medically treatable. Medically Treatable : capable of being treated : yielding or responsive to treatment. a treatable disease. treatability.  Per the CDC for PCOS  "TreatmentSee your health care provider if you have irregular monthly periods, are having trouble getting pregnant, or have excess acne or hair growth. If you’re told you have PCOS, ask about getting tested for type 2 diabetes and how to manage the condition if you have it. Making healthy changes such as losing weight if you’re overweight and increasing physical activity can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, help you better manage diabetes, and prevent or delay other health problems. There are also medicines that can help you ovulate, as well as reduce acne and hair growth. Make sure to talk with your health care provider about all your treatment options."   Source: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/pcos.html  EXCEPT: Pcos is not just defined as Weight gain, Hair growth, Irregular Period, Sub infertility. It is also defined with High Androgen levels. It is a heterogeneous disease of the endocrine system making it vastly different!  Please see:  The National Library of Medicine take on Association of Insulin Resistance and Elevated Androgen Levels with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS): A Review of Literature "PCOS is a heterogeneous disease of endocrine system which is followed by various clinical and physiological abnormalities. It exerts harmful and pervasive effects on physiological as well as metabolic system, and these characteristics categorise PCOS as a disorder associated with metabolism. Various dysfunctions like insulin resistance, hyperinsulinaemia, obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, elevating risk of developing T2DM, endometrial hyperplasia, and coronary artery diseases. Here, we discussed the impact of the PCOS on various physiological functions of the body." Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is considered as a major health issue. Women with PCOS face insulin resistance and overexposure of androgen, leading to a number of metabolic and reproductive abnormalities. These are considered the major causes of PCOS and other PCOS related manifestations. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8959968/ PCOS needs to be recognized as an Autoimmune Disorder. We need more concern.  We urge Florida Blue/BCBS to reconsider its policy on Tirzepatide coverage. By doing so, they can provide thousands of women suffering from PCOS-related insulin resistance access to an effective treatment option that could greatly improve their quality of life.Please sign this petition if you believe in equal healthcare opportunities and stand against the discrimination faced by women living with PCOS due to lackluster insurance policies.

With the recent overturn of Roe vs. Wade by The United States Supreme Court the women and other respective birthing persons of North Dakota are in serious danger! Do to the fact that federally abortion is no longer a protected practice, two trigger laws are being inacted as of July 28, 2022. The first being: House Bill 1466, signed into law by former Governor John Hoeven in 2007, bans abortion except in the cases of rape, incest, or saving the mother’s life. Under the statute, a physician who performs an abortion could be charged with a Class C felony. A second law bans the dismembering of a living unborn child, also known as the dilation and evacuation abortion method, except in the circumstance of a medical emergency. This stems from House Bill 1546, which Gov. Doug Burgum signed in 2019. (Source: shorturl.at/djkz8) Restricting access to abortion is dangerous as we have learned from our Elders in Pre-Roe times. The circumstances on what is considered a "medical emergency" has always been a gray area that has put a great many in harms way. In addition having to prove the validity in a case of rape or incest to be provided access to abortion puts a great deal of unnecessary trauma and burden on victims and families alike.  GATE KEEPING ABORTION IS GATE KEEPING HEALTH CARE. We demand the state of North Dakota repeals these trigger laws to protect all state wide from not only potentially losing their own lives but losing the lives of the ones they love. The right to abortion is between a person and their doctor no one else!