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I’m a Black Healthcare HR Lady… of course, I wear fancy glasses and get excited to see Black Healthcare workers making an impact!
Hi, I’m Datjaeda (da-jay-da). I’ve been in Human Resources for about ten years and in healthcare for seven years. I have the honor of serving as the HR Director at Lawndale Christian Health Center on the west side of Chicago. I love the work I do and the people I get to stand alongside to do it.
These days, with all the conversation about health and wellness, I’ve been thinking about my work’s impact and the issues of Black Maternal Health.
My Story
I’m a mother of an amazing 14-year-old girl. While bringing her into this world, I suffered from peripartum cardiomyopathy, a type of heart failure that can occur toward the end of pregnancy.
I’m a rare case of survival, and I sometimes wonder if my experience may have been different had my provider been a woman, perhaps a woman of color. Would she have paid closer attention to my signs of distress, swollen legs, shortness of breath, and extreme fatigue? I often wonder, if I had been evaluated sooner, would I have avoided the extended stay in the hospital away from my new baby girl?
Being pregnant is a beautiful and challenging time in a woman’s life. The culmination of mental and physical health by the growth of a whole human is extremely taxing on mothers. However, at that time, it appeared as if my provider was accustomed to the process of a typical pregnancy.
I trusted him because I had no choice. No one had ever advised me that I could seek a second opinion. I didn’t know anyone in healthcare, and the experience was already complex and distressing. But those signs of concern, even when questioned, were discounted and dismissed. My provider had delivered lots of babies, many non-blacks, and how great it would be to add a little Black face to the baby delivery wall.
It’s something that haunts me at times. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to meet with, share with, and employ Black women healthcare providers, my experience should have been different.
The Importance of Black Women Healthcare Providers
Often, I get the chance to talk with providers, and I hear their struggle, their heart, and their passion for the work they do. At Lawndale, where the mission is “Loving God, Loving People,” I know that the work of healthcare means so much more than just accolades and pictures on the wall. Mothers are trusting God-believing providers to deliver excellent care with love and concern. I’m so grateful to be on this side of the work—supporting providers who provide care to those in need.
They do great work. I trust that while good care can be provided regardless of race or gender, there is a different experience when a patient looks into their provider’s face and knows they are fully understood.
We need more women providers caring for our communities, from front-line Medical Assistants to Family Care practitioners. Having more providers that are women of color, particularly Black women, can make a difference. As healthcare administrators, we must create a place where all feel comfortable accessing the care they need—seeing someone who looks like me and may understand my context may allow us an opportunity to rebuild trust in the possible healthcare that can be attained.
The devastation that poor healthcare resources have on Black women needs more attention, period. I believe that quality employment, realistic retention practices, and promotion of Black women healthcare providers can have a pivotal impact on young families, often paralyzed by the complexities of healthcare navigation and management. When the stories of poor healthcare experiences circulate, it tends to reaffirm the distrust that has long plagued communities of color or impoverished locations.
CCD Philosophy and Healthcare
The redistributing, reconciling, and relocating principles are foundational to what I think could improve healthcare outcomes for Black women in our country. Focusing on healthcare access to women in need, empowering more Black women to further their health education, and reconciling the relationship between the Black community and healthcare, in general, are critical factors in impacting maternal health outcomes.
As a healthcare HR leader, I take pride and joy in locating quality healthcare providers who love the Lord and the people so much that they are willing to share their gifts in an underserved community with great potential and people… at a place like Lawndale.
I encourage CCDA members to find ways to support and promote Black healthcare providers. One way to do this is by employing and contributing to their education.
We all can be a part of reconciling the relationship of healthcare access for Black families. Be a part of finding solutions to support quality providers who give quality care and offer space and recognition to the many Black women in healthcare already doing this work.
About Datjaeda Moore
Datjaeda is a native of Colorado and has served in management roles for more than ten years. She holds a master’s in Human Resource Management and is an SHRM-Certified Professional. Currently she serves as the Human Resources Director at Lawndale Christian Health Center located on the west side of Chicago. As a leader in her organization, she has the opportunity to impact cultural and systemic change to support the needs of the staff. Datjaeda is a trained mediator, public speaker, and organizer. She uses these talents to have crucial conversations and learn ways to bring understanding that crosses cultural divides.
