Kent County Residents

Increasing health literacy helps eradicate health disparities. The blogs are for Kent County residence in response to the focus groups held in 2023. They are offered to you to support individuals advocating and increased wellbeing for you, your family and your community.

Blog

Birth Equity

Men's Mental Health

Sexual Health

Substance Use and Community

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Tips and Tricks

By: Tynetta Amber Smith Did you know… Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) are the most common complication of pregnancy, affecting approximately 1 in every 5 (20%) childbearing women.  In fact, according to the Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PMADs account for approximately 23% of pregnancy-related […]

Health Equity and Black Women’s Birthing Experiences

I can’t breathe.

Was I supposed to feel that?

What is going on?

Why has no one come to talk to me yet?

Is everything okay with my baby?

Why hasn’t my husband been allowed in?

I don’t want to have my water broken!  I want to birth naturally.  The baby will come when they are ready. 

Who’s Really Responsible? : Navigating Safety While Exploring Sexual Practices

By: Donnie Hue Frazier III How often do we evaluate whether or not we are being sexually responsible? What is sexual responsibility, and how does an individual gauge if they are doing their part? There are many layers to this discussion, and it doesn’t stop at simply getting tested. I want to make it clear […]

Resources

Patient Advocate Departments within Hospitals

  1. Spectrum Health (616-391-2624)
  2. Trinity health Grand Rapids (616-685-5444)

Advocacy Organizations

  1. African Collaborative Network (616-577-8575)
  2. Community Food Club (616-288-5550)
  3. Fair Housing Centers of Michigan (616-451-2980)
  4. Family Futures (616-454-4673)
  5. Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (616-331-5831)
  6. Hope Network (616-301-8000)
  7. Renew Mobility (616-492-2620)
  8. SECOM Resource Center (616-452-7684)

Preparing for Appointments:

  1. Write down a list of questions before the appointment.
  2. Arrive at the appointment early.
  3. Bring a trusted support person (friend, adult child, parent, or spouse).
  4. Clearly communicate what you are experiencing. 
    1. Be specific and include as many details as necessary. 
    2. Push back if you feel that your concerns are not being taken seriously. 
    3. Ask additional questions.
    4.  If your doctor pushes back or does not take your concerns seriously, ask that they document in your chart their unwillingness to follow-up on your requests or concerns.
  5. Take notes.
    1. Write down the doctor’s instructions or ask them to have them written down and printed for you. 
  6. Confirm the next steps.
  7. Know that every doctor is not for every patient and that looking for another doctor better suited to your needs is okay. 
  8. It is your right to experience respectful, dignity-driven, and equity mental and physical health care.  If you are experiencing your provider in ways that does not align with this, it may be time to look for another provider.
  9. You have the right to request a second opinion.

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