Medical Racial Bias

Ohnut was founded in frustration with a healthcare system that largely ignores and actively silences the voices of the marginalized — and we all collectively need to acknowledge the distinct pain Black people have endured from the very people who are supposed to help heal them.
 As a company, we vow to devote even more time, energy & resources to education about Black experiences within the medical and health industries. We need to recognize the painful truth of where we’ve been in order to move forward.

Black health, Black pain, & Black Lives Matter.

In order to change where we’re going, we need to understand where we’ve been. 
Our healthcare systems are set up & designed to fail Black people, especially Black people with vaginas. 

Read the studies behind the slides we've shared:

Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites

When race matters: disagreement in pain perception between patients and their physicians in primary care.

CHAPTER ONE THE BIRTH OF AMERICAN GYNECOLOGY

Distrust, Race, and Research

Racism, African American Women, and Their Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Review of Historical and Contemporary Evidence and Implications for Health Equity

Quality of Care and Disparities in Obstetrics

Patterns and Trends in Age-Specific Black-White Differences in Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality - United States, 1999-2014

Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2017: Racial and Ethnic Minorities

Resource List for Anti-Racist and Trauma-Informed Patient Care (compiled by
Uchenna Ossai, PT, DPT, WCS, CSC & Lauren H. Collins, PT, DPT, CLT)

 

So, how do we do better? 

WHAT WE'RE DOING

As a company, we're devoting even more time and resources to education on anti-racism work as well as expanding our internal diversity. In order to change where we’re going, we need to fully understand where we’ve been over the last 20 months. We’re currently a small team (7 to be exact) of all white people, mostly women, some LGBTQ+, and a few disabled. Our whiteness as a team is one of the first things we’re actively working to change by seeking to hire BIPOC candidates for Ohnut positions that will be posted next month (stay tuned for more info). 
 
Amplifying the stories of Black women & non-binary peoples' journey through America’s racially biased healthcare system has always been and will forever be centered in our work as a brand (46% of our paid collaborations have been with BIPOC influencers). We will continue a targeted effort to provide educational resources regarding the racial inequities in healthcare as well as amplify valuable resources to BIPOC folks who need them most. This page will be updated quarterly with actions we have taken toward these goals. 

THINGS YOU CAN DO

SUPPORT & AMPLIFY 

CMQCC has developed evidence-based quality improvement toolkits for the leading causes of preventable death and complications for mothers and infants, including toolkits on: Cardiovascular Disease, Early Elective Delivery, Hemorrhage (1st & 2nd editions), Maternal Venous Thromboembolism, Preeclampsia, and Supporting Vaginal Birth and Reducing Primary Cesareans. 

DONATE
The only national organization dedicated solely to improving the health and wellness of our nation's 21 million Black women and girls.  

GET INVOLVED
A policy initiative dedicated to securing reproductive justice for Black women and girls.