African American Health Network of Dane County

07/10/2025

📣📣📣 Great Morning MG5K Friends ❤️ & Family ❤️:

We are working diligently to finalize the details. In addition to the race, we have some fantastic updates that we'd like to share with you in advance. 😍🎉🥳

Each day, we will share information about the events taking place at the 7th Annual Madison Gospel 5K, 10K, Run/Walk & Health Fair. We will also highlight all of our fantastic health fair vendors. 😍.

📣😍📣So let’s start off with the event line up:

Don't forget to register while there's still time!😉😉😉

04/12/2025

This year marks the fifth-year anniversary of the Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) campaign.

Learn more about opportunities to connect with and promote Black Maternal Health Week!

* Founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, BMHW is a week of awareness, activism, and community building intended to:
* Deepen the national conversation about Black maternal health in the US;
* Amplify community-driven policy, research, and care solutions;
* Center the voices of Black Mamas, women, families, and stakeholders;
* Provide a national platform for Black-led entities and efforts on maternal health, birth and reproductive justice; and
* Enhance community organizing on Black maternal health.

Black Maternal Health Week takes place every year from April 11 –17 and was officially recognized by the White House on April 13th, 2021.

The month of April is recognized in the United States as National Minority Health Month – a month-long initiative to advance health equity across the country on behalf of all racial and ethnic minorities.

Additionally, we are joining dozens of global organizations who are fighting to end maternal mortality globally in advocating that the United Nations recognize April 11th as the International Day for Maternal Health and Rights.

The campaign and activities for Black Maternal Health Week serve to amplify the voices of Black Mamas and center the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements.

Activities during BMHW are rooted in human rights, reproductive justice, and birth justice frameworks.

This year marks the fifth-year anniversary of the Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) campaign. Learn more about opportunities to connect with and promote Black Maternal Health Week!

02/02/2025

Learn more about liver cancer and ways you can prioritize your overall health.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1BWHZgjw8K/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Black History Month

01/21/2025

Black Women and Cervical Cancer

According to NIH and CDC, Black women have the highest rates of morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer compared to other groups.

This includes women with cervical cancers that are more prominent in other ethnicities, like the two major types of cervical cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (ADC).

Researchers found that Black women have the lowest incidence of ADC; however, they experience the highest mortality rate from it.

A study conducted by Anne Rositch et al. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that the incidence of cervical cancer rose steadily with age, peaking among women ages 65 to 69, particularly in Black women. This was an 84% increase in incidence than previously reported because the study excluded women who had hysterectomies including the removal of their cervix because they are no longer at risk for cervical cancer.

Though Black women are more likely to be screened for cervical cancer, they have a higher incidence and mortality rates than their white counterparts. Despite having resources such as screening and prevention available, Black women have to deal with many challenges that create barriers to follow-up procedures.

These challenges include, but are not limited to a lack of:

- Knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer
- Healthcare coverage
- Trust in healthcare providers
- Health information
- Work-place flexibility / time off
- Help and support with family obligations
- Transportation

Another factor that makes Black women more vulnerable to cervical cancer may be the length of time it takes for their bodies to clear the virus on their own.

According to a study conducted in 2017 by Asok Karuri et al., Black women take about twice as long to clear their cervix of an HPV infection than their white counterparts. HPV infections usually clear the body within 18-24 months. However, in this study, it took an average of 60 days for 50% clearance of HPV in Black women. This is twice as long in comparison to white women.

Although this may be a factor that is out of the patient’s control, one barrier that can be addressed in efforts to decrease rates of cervical cancer is to maintain a healthy patient-provider relationship. According to Teresa Thomas et al. (2021), self-advocacy may lead to improved person-centered care, improved management of symptoms, and a better quality of life. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself.

Ask questions if you don’t understand something or if you feel you’d like to be more involved in your treatment decisions.

01/20/2025

“Cervical Health” refers to the health of the cervix, the organ at the neck of the uterus. Cervical health can be maintained by eating a healthy diet, practicing safe s*x, and having regular screenings to detect cancer and other conditions before they become life threatening.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DtwdjDVpM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month! Regular screening with Pap and HPV tests can help find problems early and prevent cancer from developing. Early detection saves lives.
https://buff.ly/2MaBXNC

01/13/2025

The weeks after giving birth are a busy time, full of physical and emotional changes. It can be hard to focus on your own health after bringing home a
new baby.

January 23, 2025 is Maternal Health Awareness Day.

Parents are welcome to at 6:00pm that day for a Healthy Women Community Talk featuring experts from the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology who will answer your questions about physical recovery, postpartum mental health, breastfeeding, and so much more.

Join in person at Goodman Community Center or online via Zoom to talk about your options for postpartum care and how to prioritize your health!

09/30/2024

🗣️ Community -

Tomorrow is the last day to respond to the state's Maternal Child Health Needs Assessment.

This information that everyday people like you who follow this page gets compiled and then used to make- and justify- decisions.

It is important they hear from African Americans across Wisconsin. This cannot be emphasized enough- it is important that they hear from all types of Black people with experiences across the entire state.

If you have not filled out the survey, please consider doing so, and encouraging at least one other person to do so, too.

Details below:

DHS Launches Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment to Gather Community Feedback

Share your voice through DHS’ maternal and child health needs assessment to shape future family health programs.

The survey, from the DHS Maternal and Child Health Program, is an opportunity for individuals and families in Wisconsin to influence the priorities and focus of maternal and child health programs in the state, and is part of a comprehensive, statewide assessment the program conducts every five years as part of federal funding.

The goal for the upcoming needs assessment is to hear from people from all backgrounds and parts of our state, as well as those most impacted by future family health improvement efforts and experiences.

The confidential, ten-minute survey covers a range of topics, including prenatal care, access to health care services, maternal mental health, child and infant health, birth outcomes, and community resources and will be open into September 2024. The survey is available in English, Hmong, and Spanish.

Through the survey, DHS will identify current community strengths, partnerships, and areas where people need more support to improve the health of our maternal and child populations.

Help support the health and well-being of families in Wisconsin! Complete the short statewide family, maternal, and child health survey today. The survey is available in English, Hmong, and Spanish.

Sharable link:

The Department of Health Services launches maternal and child health needs assessment to gather community feedbackWe want to hear from you! We are in a pivotal moment that only happens once every five years. Please take 15 minutes to complete the survey. Your voice matters.

09/11/2024

Championing Change: Physician and Lung Cancer Advocate Shares Personal Story

Sydney Barned, MD, is a stage 4 lung cancer survivor and advocate. Dr. Barned graduated from the University of The West Indies Faculty of Medical Sciences Jamaica in 2012 and is currently a practicing internal medicine specialist at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland.

It was during her year of medical residency when she noticed decreased exercise endurance and began wheezing, which later resulted in her lung cancer diagnosis.

Sydney became an advocate to dispel the stigma that lung cancer is a smoker’s disease. She wants to increase awareness about the need for more lung cancer research, get rid of the stigma, and obtain research funding on the same level as breast, ovarian and other women’s cancers to educate others that lung cancer kills more people than those cancers combined.

Dr. Barned is a lung cancer survivor turned advocate. Her story from diagnosis to advocacy is one of honesty and unwavering hope.

Through her personal experiences and powerful insights, she sheds light on the challenges and triumphs she faced throughout her lung cancer journey.

https://blackhealthmatters.com/championing-change-physician-and-lung-cancer-advocate-shares-personal-story/

08/31/2024

The Fathers In Focus Conference is designed to bring together fathers, family advocates, community leaders, and experts to engage in meaningful discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities.

08/05/2024

Simone Biles shared that she started the morning of her historic Olympic gold medal win with a therapy session.

The star gymnast said “Even this morning at 7A.M. I saw my therapist, and there's a time change, so she is so amazing for allowing me to do that these (past) couple of days... I think you see that on the competition floor."

So much gratitude to Simone Biles for setting the example of courage and mental health for children - and everyone- worldwide.

And thanks to the Today Show for this image and amplifying this important issue!