Urban League Roundtable Discusses Stress and More Effecting Women’s Health

Milwaukee Urban League (Milwaukee, WI) hosted a virtual roundtable Wednesday afternoon to discuss stress and various health disparities affecting Black women through various avenues.

Straight Talk on Women’s Health, moderated by President and CEO of Milwaukee Urban League Dr. Eve M. Hall, dived into the factors affecting Black women and how they contribute to prevalent health issues in the community.

One of the major culprits is systemic oppression, explained Gina Green-Harris, director of UW School of Medicine and Public Health for Community Engagement and Health Partnerships. This can present itself in many forms, from housing problems to inaccessible quality healthcare to even lack of community grocery stores, Green-Harris said.

“We know that chronic stress is a driver but when you think about how chronic stress impacts us, where it comes from – it comes from systems.” Green-Harris said. “It comes from systemic oppression. It comes from our systems that have been in place for several years that have denied us healthcare or inadequate healthcare.”

Stressors build on top of one another and can factor into major issues regarding birth complications, explained Green-Harris.

Green-Harris outlined how pre-mature births are three times more likely in Black women and Hall explained Black infant death rates are three times worse compared to the rate for white infants. Systemic issues play their role variously in Black women’s health.

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