Readers React
Readers write in about their thoughts on Contemporary OB/GYN's coverage of the maternal mortality issue, urge the avoidance of politicizing issues, and argue for the reduction of cesarean deliveries.
Continuing the fight from deep in the trenches
Thank you, Dr. Lockwood, for your commitment to reducing maternal mortality! It is simply shameful that women, particularly women of color, are dying at such an alarming rate in 2018. As a OB hospitalist in Chicago’s underserved Englewood neighborhood, I am deep in the trenches of maternal obesity, hypertension, diabetes, substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, domestic abuse, etc. The stories I could tell! Despite the constant threat of malpractice, the fear of traveling in and out of a very dangerous neighborhood, the burnout from a tight work schedule, I press on because I know that I have been blessed with a unique skill set. I can save lives and I must. Therefore, I am as committed as you are to saving the lives of the mothers in my care. It is our duty as well as our gift.
Joy West MD, FACOG
Chicago, Illinois
In Reply:
God bless you Dr. West. You are battling on the front lines of this important struggle. You are also addressing a particularly important component of the challenge of maternal mortality: racial disparities! Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said at the Second National Convention of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, “of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane.” Now, more than 50 years later, is the time to finally address and eliminate disparities in access and delivery of care and in outcomes. Thanks for all you do.
Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM
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