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00:00What's up, Essence Festival?
00:04Make some noise for that panel that we just had.
00:10Y'all could do better.
00:12That was Angie Martinez.
00:14Make some noise for Angie Martinez.
00:16Come on now.
00:18The legend, the myth, the icon.
00:20All right, y'all, I have a special gift for you guys
00:23who are under the sound of my voice.
00:25If you pay attention now,
00:27because see what's going to happen is
00:29some of y'all gonna try to rush the stage
00:31when I say what I'm about to say, all right?
00:34So pay attention.
00:35If you know Norland's food
00:38and you want to compete for a reservation for dinner for two
00:43at Dukie Chase or Justini's Nola,
00:46we are looking for four volunteers.
00:49So if four volunteers could come to the side of the stage,
00:53to my right, and if you're interested in competing,
00:56see, you see, my brother not playing no games.
00:59They ain't playing either.
01:00Yeah, I'm not.
01:01I told y'all.
01:02I told y'all.
01:03Go to my right and we will be picking out four volunteers
01:07to play a special game.
01:09I'm not gonna tell y'all what the game is,
01:11but it's gonna be a whole lot of fun.
01:12All right?
01:13Okay, so things are moving here at Essence Fest
01:16and the Essence Stage.
01:18Are y'all having a good time?
01:20Let me hear you say yeah.
01:21Yeah.
01:22Say yeah.
01:23Yeah.
01:24Yes.
01:25All right.
01:26So I have to shout out the amazing, amazing digital audience
01:30who's joining us live from EssenceFestival.com
01:33and Essence.com.
01:35Make some noise for the viewers who are at home,
01:38who can't be with us right now, but they're tuning in.
01:40You guys who are at home, you can still join the fun
01:43by posting your pictures, your videos, or even your tweets
01:48with the hashtag Essence Fest.
01:50All right?
01:51Now, we're moving right along into the next conversation
01:54about doing it for the culture.
01:56Y'all know health is wealth, correct?
01:58Well, this next conversation is all about building a culture
02:02of health.
02:03Please help me welcome to the stage Dr. Aletha Maybank.
02:08I'm sorry, Dr. Aletha Maybank in conversation with Dr.
02:12Ushe Blackstock and Erica Seth Davies, as well as Joel
02:17Brevelle.
02:22Black doctors, y'all.
02:23Y'all can do better than that.
02:24Come on now.
02:25Health is wealth.
02:42All right, all right.
02:47Awesome to be here today.
02:49I'm Dr. Aletha Maybank, Senior Vice President of the American
02:53Medical Association.
02:55Today, I am joined by some amazing people that I know,
02:59influencers in health justice, who have been leading and
03:03speaking to the nation about what we need to do better with our
03:07health.
03:08So, on my left here, on my right, on my left, yes, is Dr.
03:11Uche Blackstock.
03:12Many of y'all have seen her on MSNBC.
03:14My mom says, oh, that pretty doctor on TV?
03:17I said, yeah, she's a Brooklyn girl, too.
03:19I'm a Brooklyn girl.
03:20So, shout out to Brooklyn.
03:22Founder of Advancing Equity and just released her book, which
03:26she will talk about as well with us today.
03:28Joel Burvell, who is a med student.
03:32Many of y'all have seen him.
03:34I call him the TikTok doc, but other people call him the
03:36medical myth busters.
03:37But he has over 800,000 followers on TikTok.
03:41He's been doing an amazing job at educating many of us on the
03:45history, especially, of what has happened to us as black people
03:48in health.
03:49And then, on my furthest from me is Erica, Erica Seth Davies,
03:54amazing leader, head of Reaventures, yes, is doing a lot to
04:00help support black businesses and providing them funding so that
04:04they can start.
04:05So, we're going to talk a little bit about that as well.
04:07So, our conversation is about building a culture of health.
04:10And I would love to hear from each of you, what does that mean to
04:14you?
04:15What does it look like?
04:16What does it feel like?
04:17So, Uche, I'm going to start with you.
04:24Hello?
04:25Hello?
04:26Okay.
04:27So, culture of health, I think of as a culture where black folks,
04:33especially black women, can go into healthcare spaces as their
04:37authentic selves and receive the care that they need.
04:40You know, we often hear stories about patients not feeling seen,
04:46heard, and appreciated in healthcare spaces.
04:49We know from studies that often black patients are spoken over
04:54during medical encounters.
04:56And so, obviously, that is a situation that we cannot have.
05:00And so, I think that making sure that our patients can go into spaces
05:05where they're seen holistically.
05:07So, it's not just about the one-on-one interaction,
05:10but also about what's happening in their households,
05:13what's happening in their communities.
05:15And we need healthcare professionals who can understand that
05:18and care for our patients in a holistic way,
05:21where they understand the systemic barriers and challenges
05:25that our communities face and can respond appropriately.
05:29Fantastic.
05:30And I think a lot of us are thinking about this as health professionals,
05:34as leaders, as all of you, especially in this time as,
05:37I'm not going to say post-COVID because we're not that,
05:40but we know the rates are better, we know how to treat better.
05:43But during this time, a lot of us are thinking about,
05:45how do we, you know, build the health back into our lives?
05:48What do you have to say about that, Joel?
05:50Yeah, I think about that a lot.
05:51So, when I came into medical school,
05:53I was in the first cohort of black students.
05:55And I think that in itself is one of the first problems
05:58that we need to fix to get to that,
06:00building that culture of health.
06:01Less than 6% of all physicians in the United States are black.
06:05When you think about what that means,
06:07it means that in our own communities,
06:09we aren't getting health literacy information
06:11from people that look like us, from the people around us.
06:14It means that food deserts exist
06:16and we don't know how to get out of it.
06:18And what I think is really necessary
06:21is to get more information out there
06:23so that people are better able to take health
06:25into their own hands in the black community.
06:27So, for me, that's been one of my biggest things
06:29that I'm really trying to push forward.
06:31Increasing diversity by being representation that's out there.
06:34I feel like you can't be what you can't see.
06:36If you don't see someone who looks like you,
06:38that's a doctor, that's a physician,
06:40that's in any healthcare space,
06:42you're not going to be able to feel like
06:44you're able to get there as well.
06:45So, that's one of the first things.
06:47But it's also understanding how the history of biases
06:50has affected us.
06:51And how do we actually take that information
06:53so that when we need to go to the doctor,
06:55we can advocate for ourselves.
06:57We can say, hey, I know traditionally
06:59black patients don't get treated for pain as much,
07:01but I have real pain.
07:02Here's what I want to happen.
07:03Here's a study on it that I learned about
07:05and I can actually go out and make sure
07:07that I can actually get the right medication that I need.
07:10So, I think building a culture of health really
07:12stems from the education piece of it,
07:14increasing diversity,
07:15and really making sure our voices are heard
07:17in the medical space.
07:18Absolutely.
07:19And I thank you for that.
07:21And I give kudos to Essence for,
07:23you know, when we talk about health,
07:25we know health doesn't just happen in the doctor's walls
07:28or the hospitals,
07:29but health happens all of here, right?
07:31Whether it's your beauty,
07:32we see a wellness house, your economics.
07:34So, you know, for you, Erica,
07:37like you think a lot about finances and economics.
07:39What does building a culture of health
07:41with that space really represent?
07:43Sure.
07:44So, for me, it means making sure that the resources
07:47that are available,
07:48the innovation that can come to market
07:51to resolve different types of health outcomes,
07:54that it's done in a way, it's designed by us,
07:56it's designed for us,
07:58and it's funded to be able to reach us.
08:00And so, that means funding black and brown founders
08:04through venture capital or other types of funding.
08:07And it also means making sure any innovation
08:10that comes to market is involving black patients,
08:15that it's involving black communities in its design
08:17and its delivery,
08:19so that we are getting the healthcare that we need
08:21in a holistic way.
08:23And so, the space in which I operate
08:25with respect to venture funding
08:27and other types of funding
08:29is actually very important,
08:31and it's often not understood or visible, I'll say.
08:34And so, venture funding is a type of capital
08:37that gets deployed that actually gets things into the market.
08:42It gets companies where they need to be
08:45so that they can actually reach their particular market.
08:48And if that funding isn't delivered in a way
08:52that's actually encouraging,
08:54we'll say cultural competency,
08:56or if it's just not delivered in a way,
08:58again, that's supporting black founders
09:00who are bringing solutions from their lived experience,
09:04then it's actually not going to ultimately develop
09:07a culture of health for all of us.
09:09And so, making sure that there are,
09:11my work is around advocating for that approach to funding,
09:14and it's also making sure that there are more VCs
09:17that are actually doing that type of funding in particular.
09:20So, when you're looking as a company for funding,
09:24whether it's loans, equity investments,
09:27like venture capital,
09:29where you're going to have to give up some ownership,
09:31that you're getting that approach
09:34or you're doing that work
09:35in a way that can actually keep your mission centered
09:38with respect to the company.
09:42And so, Uche, back to you.
09:44You just released,
09:45or you're getting ready to release a book, Legacy.
09:47And I would love to elevate,
09:48and I heard this earlier today from Michelle Broder,
09:51who I know is somewhere in the audience.
09:53And she said, you know,
09:55it seems like her book is really getting the message
09:57of racism and health out there.
09:59And so, can you speak a little bit
10:01to why that is actually important to you
10:03and how you use that kind of as a strategy
10:05as you talk to millions of people,
10:07you know, on the news or the nighttime?
10:09Right.
10:10So, the one thing I often say when I describe myself,
10:13you know, I'm a second generation black woman physician,
10:16and that is something very rare to say,
10:18and it shouldn't be rare.
10:20You know, Joelle quoted that, you know,
10:235% of physicians are black,
10:25and I want people to understand why that is the case.
10:28It's not because we are not qualified.
10:30The same, the same systemic racism
10:33that makes black people sick
10:35is the same systemic racism
10:37that prevents us from having the opportunities
10:39to become health professionals and physicians.
10:42And so, that's why I felt like this book was so important
10:45because, as Joelle mentioned,
10:47it's really understanding the history
10:49of how we got here in the first place.
10:50For example, you know, we've talked about redlining before.
10:53We had a redlining exhibit in New York City,
10:56but people don't understand and need to understand
10:59how discriminatory housing policies have a direct impact
11:03from the 1930s and 40s still have a direct impact
11:06on the health of our communities today
11:09because of chronic disinvestment, right?
11:12And so, you can tell people, individuals,
11:14to make the right choices.
11:15You should eat better.
11:16Stop drinking. Stop smoking, right?
11:18But if there are not systemic policies in place
11:22to make your neighborhoods healthier,
11:24that is a challenging thing to do.
11:26So, I want people to understand that, you know,
11:28there's a lot that we can do in our communities
11:30to help support each other, community-based organizations,
11:34and working on the ground.
11:36But we also need policies in place
11:38to help make our communities healthier.
11:41And so, I wrote this book to help connect the dots for people
11:45to understand that had we got to our place to today in 2023
11:49where we have black pregnant people
11:52who are, you know, three to four times more likely
11:54to die of pregnancy-related complications
11:56than their white peers.
11:57Why is that happening?
11:59Because there's nothing intrinsically wrong with us, right?
12:02We are wonderful, healthy people,
12:04but the problem is that the system makes us sick.
12:08And I want people to understand how it makes us sick
12:11and then what we need to do in order to address that.
12:14Absolutely.
12:15And so, Joel, you know, in all that you're doing
12:18and kind of connecting the dots between maternal health
12:21and the realities that we're experiencing
12:24as black and brown people and higher death rates,
12:27but also the historical context to that,
12:29one of my favorite posts of yours is on grading midwives
12:33and just really speaking to kind of the history
12:35of how we figured it out ourselves.
12:37Like, even though there's resistance,
12:39there are people out there believing
12:41or wanting us to believe that we can't come together
12:44and build our own health
12:46because we've always been here and survived
12:48because we have come together to create our own solutions
12:51and put them forward.
12:52And so Granny Midwives was just a wonderful example of that.
12:55What's one of your other favorite, like,
12:57TikTok messages that you put out there
13:00that you realize had tremendous impact
13:02through your messaging?
13:03Absolutely.
13:04And I'm glad you brought up the Granny Midwives
13:06because for those who don't know,
13:07Granny Midwives were black women here in the South
13:09that went out to communities
13:11and took care of black and white babies
13:14when there weren't hospitals,
13:15when hospitals weren't the norm.
13:16And so these women were out there.
13:18Decades went by and they were pushed out
13:20when policies started being created
13:22that said it was illegal for these women
13:24to be operating anymore,
13:25but actually made health outcomes worse
13:27in a lot of places
13:28that didn't have hospitals built in there.
13:30So I think recognizing that is so important.
13:32I think one of my other videos
13:33that I'm really proud of
13:34is actually probably my first one.
13:36It's about pulse oximeters,
13:37which I think a lot of people
13:38have come to understand now.
13:40Pulse oximeters are these devices
13:42that go on your finger
13:43and they measure your blood oxygen saturation level.
13:45That's how much oxygen is bound to your blood cells.
13:48But unfortunately,
13:50they can overestimate oxygen saturation.
13:53What that means is you put it on your finger,
13:55it's supposed to tell you whether you're hypoxic,
13:57if there's enough oxygen or not,
13:59and it can actually read higher.
14:01And studies came out later showing that
14:03what that meant was that black patients
14:05were turned away during the COVID pandemic
14:08and weren't given supplemental oxygen.
14:10And they directly correlated it to saying
14:12this could have been why more black patients died.
14:15And I made that video.
14:17This was in 2020.
14:18So right kind of in the midst of the COVID pandemic
14:21and within 24 hours,
14:22it had over half a million views
14:24and half of the comments were from doctors
14:26and nurses and physicians saying,
14:29I never knew about this disparity
14:31and I use this device every day.
14:32I've told my patients to go out and get this device.
14:35And to see that medical professionals
14:37didn't even understand that the biases
14:39that were built into the system was shocking to me.
14:42But I think the reason why it's so important
14:44was it gave people also a language
14:46to be able to speak to their physicians.
14:47I got a message a few months later
14:49from a guy on LinkedIn of all places.
14:52And he said, because of your video, my life was saved.
14:56And I said, what? How did that happen?
14:58And so he explained how during the COVID pandemic,
15:00he'd gotten sick.
15:01He'd seen my videos a few weeks before
15:03and he'd gone to the hospital
15:05and had COVID symptoms, wasn't feeling well.
15:08The doctor said, you know, you're a relatively healthy guy.
15:11Go home. You'll be fine.
15:12He refused, showed the doctor my video and said,
15:15I've seen studies that show that the devices
15:17that say I'm supposed to be fine, don't work well.
15:19I want to stay here overnight.
15:21He ended up staying.
15:22It was a good thing he did
15:23because he ended up crashing
15:25and he had to be intubated that night in the ICU.
15:28It got so bad that literally they brought him an iPad
15:32to talk to his daughter and his wife
15:34as if he wasn't going to make it.
15:36Thankfully, he is here today to make it.
15:38But I always think about
15:39what if he hadn't seen that video?
15:41What would have happened?
15:42Well, thank you for that and leadership
15:45and because that is leadership truthfully.
15:47So thank you.
15:48And he's only a student, y'all.
15:50Working hard.
15:51Erica.
15:52So what advice do you have for people here
15:55in our last like four minutes of conversation?
15:58And we need to get back to it
16:00because I want to get to all of you to ask one last thing.
16:02But just can you quickly give advice to people
16:04who do want to start a business?
16:06And it could be any business,
16:08but like specifically in health
16:09because I think there's a lot of things
16:11that we see and experience
16:13that we have great ideas for.
16:15So my panelists actually made the case
16:19for why it's important for us
16:21to actually be involved in innovation.
16:23So innovation that's not designed with us in mind
16:26will not solve our problems.
16:28And that's up to black people
16:30to lean into the space around innovation,
16:33health innovation.
16:34And so making sure, again,
16:36that there are resources available
16:38to support that innovation
16:39and make sure it gets to market
16:41to make sure that we, again,
16:43we are designing with us in mind
16:44so that we're bringing our experiences
16:46and improved outcome for all black people
16:49to the center of the conversation,
16:51to the center of the design,
16:53to the center of the go-to market strategy,
16:55which is all part of this process.
16:58So I think my advice to potential founders
17:02or current founders is to actually do the thing.
17:05So whatever it is that has occurred to you
17:07out of your own experience,
17:09do the research, ask around,
17:11build the product,
17:13develop the innovation,
17:14take it to market,
17:15like actually go forward and do it
17:17because it's essential.
17:19It's needed for a culture of health
17:21and for our health in the future.
17:24So there are opportunities out here
17:26for incubation and acceleration
17:28and all those things,
17:29but get started and do the thing
17:31that you've been thinking about,
17:33whether it's an app, a digital access platform,
17:36or some type of a diagnostic
17:38or whatever the case may be.
17:39But most importantly,
17:41is to get started and follow that through.
17:43And then from there,
17:44finding those networks and connections
17:47that will actually help you
17:48to take that product into scale
17:50and into market.
17:53So as we close out, just quickly,
17:55can you offer at least one piece of concrete advice
17:58for all that are here
18:00of what they can do to help build a culture of health?
18:03Everybody, I think, does it to some level,
18:06but they want to hear from y'all
18:08because y'all are the doctors
18:09and the professionals.
18:10So go ahead.
18:11I also just want to give a shout out to Health in Her Hue.
18:14It's a digital health app
18:16that connects black women and women of color
18:19with culturally responsive health professionals.
18:22So I know a lot of times people will ask us
18:24recommendations about other health professionals.
18:26Health in Her Hue is incredibly helpful.
18:29And I just would say that, you know,
18:30just kind of know what's going on locally
18:33in your community.
18:34If there are any organizations
18:36that are actually doing work around food sovereignty
18:39or food insecurity or housing,
18:42because all of those, all of those,
18:44we call it the social determinants of health,
18:46impact the health of our community.
18:48So if you can, you know,
18:49go help support the local garden
18:51or help other organizations in your community
18:54that are already on the ground doing the work,
18:56I'm sure they'd be very, very grateful for your support.
19:00Joel?
19:01Yeah, I want to follow that up.
19:02Support the organizations that are doing the work
19:03to make medicine more diverse.
19:05I want to shout out National Medical Fellowships.
19:07They're doing the work right now to help diversify medicine
19:10and also giving funding for medical students
19:12and future students because it's expensive
19:14to get into medical school.
19:16A lot of people don't know,
19:17but average debt when you come out of medical school
19:19is $250,000.
19:21Yes, don't remind us.
19:23You're still paying.
19:24It can be expensive.
19:25But for each of you, I say,
19:27don't be afraid to ask questions in the doctor's office.
19:30I think sometimes we give all the control to the doctor,
19:33but it's a balance.
19:34And so really making sure to ask those questions.
19:36Okay.
19:37And Erica, quickly.
19:38Sure.
19:39I would say actually do the search for Black Founder X,
19:42whatever it is that you're looking for.
19:43So I'll give a shout out to Earth, for example,
19:45Kimberly Seals Allers app that's looking at improved maternal health outcomes
19:50by allowing black women to provide feedback in real time
19:53on their experience with the doctor
19:55so you can find a doctor that's going to meet your needs.
19:58So do the search, find the founder, support that business,
20:02would be my advice that everyone in here can do.
20:05Awesome.
20:06Well, thanks to the panel today.
20:07I just want to end that.
20:08Tina Turner, as we all know of her, passed recently.
20:12And one of the things that she said when she died and passed,
20:15or right before she passed, rather,
20:16was she wished she knew the connection between hypertension and kidney failure.
20:21And a lot of people don't even understand that connection.
20:24And I think that just speaks to, again, the importance of how we understand
20:28and work collectively to share information,
20:30but the power that you all are bringing to this space
20:33and to this universe and Earth of what you do.
20:35So I thank you for all your leadership that you've been doing.
20:39And thank you all for being here today.
20:41All right.
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