Eliminating Barriers to Wellness for Black and Latine Women in ATL: A Community Conversation

CHC hosted a community conversation on barriers to wellness for Black and Latine women in Atlanta on September 27, 2023.

In Georgia, non-Hispanic Black women are two times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than non-Hispanic whites. Furthermore, almost half (45.9 percent) of women of reproductive age who identify as Hispanic or Latina are uninsured in Georgia. Health and systematic disparities such as those seen in cancer, diabetes, and food insecurity mirror disparities seen in pregnancy-related outcomes and health insurance access for Black and Latine women in Atlanta.  Legacies of institutionalized and systematic racism and bias compound this problem.

CHC: Creating Healthier Communities, in partnership with community-focused provider groups, is working to implement programmatic efforts in Atlanta to reduce social and systematic barriers to wellness for Black and Latine women. As part of this critically needed work, CHC hosted an invitational community discussion featuring key partner organizations, community members with lived experiences, community health advocates, CHC’s Board of Directors, and other key stakeholders in this space. This discussion centered the needs and concerns in the Atlanta community on women’s health issues and outcomes and the social and systematic barriers that drive these inequities and adverse health outcomes.  We also explored what is currently being done to eliminate social and systematic barriers, and where sustained work and support are needed.    

This community conversation was held at The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta,  a museum dedicated to the achievements of the civil rights movement in the United States and the broader worldwide human rights movement. The event was moderated by Vonetta Daniels, KPMG Director, Health & Government Solutions, with a panel of women with lived experience:

• Asha Emmanuelle – Center for Black Women’s Wellness (CBWW)  
• Johanna Caicedo – Feminist Women’s Health Center (FWHC) 
• Olga Romero – Feminists Women’s Health Center (FWHC) 
• Ky Lindberg – Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia (HMHBGA)  
• Precious Andrews – Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia (HMHBGA) 

The community conversation was part of a preprogram leading to CHC’s board of directors meeting.