Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Senator Casey.
00:02Let me start by thanking you, Mr. Chairman, and the Ranking Member for having a hearing on this range of critically important issues,
00:08whether it's diversity of the workforce or whether it's
00:11health disparities or maternal health or maternal mortality, and
00:18I believe that in order to
00:22nurture the future generation of black and brown health care workers or in order to close gaps between
00:30outcomes for white and black mothers, we have to start in childhood, and
00:34that means that the Congress of the United States has to get into the game in a way that we haven't ever really.
00:41I believe it comes down to at least five basic freedoms that every child should have a right to enjoy,
00:47and we should invest in those freedoms, not just talk about them like they're platitudes.
00:53The freedom to be healthy, the freedom to learn,
00:56the freedom to have economic security,
01:00which means giving children the opportunity, their families the opportunity to save at a very young age for their future.
01:07The fourth freedom would be the freedom from hunger, and the fifth freedom would be the freedom to be safe from harm.
01:15Every child has those five.
01:17Health, the opportunity to learn, economic security, freedom from hunger, and to be safe.
01:22We will have a much different outcome on all these issues we're here to talk about,
01:26but the federal government hasn't done that, and so I think it requires a maximum
01:32commitment to our children.
01:34I'll start with Dr. Lawson. You had talked about the improved outcomes patients have when they're able to see
01:41health care providers that look like them, a very important point to make in this hearing and beyond. In the context of
01:49maternity care,
01:50what has your experience been with both midwives and doulas, and what role can they play in reducing health disparities?
01:59Absolutely. Thank you, Senator. I've had a 22-year
02:03history of experience in OBGYN.
02:06My entire career, I've worked with midwives and doulas. I even owned a birth center myself and employed
02:12midwives. Very impactful. Number one, I believe women should have a choice with what type of provider they want.
02:19And that's what midwives can do. I think that doulas are an excellent support
02:26for women. They were an extension of me. I could send the doula to the house, help a woman in early labor,
02:34postpartum checks, you know, mood disorders. Sometimes they would share things with the doula
02:39they may not want to share with me. So, very important aspect, an add-on support for women during pregnancy and childbirth.
02:47Well, thank you. We're all trying to do more to invest in programs that would support doulas and midwives.
02:54Dr. Galvez, you mentioned the role of community colleges in helping to develop the
03:00pipeline of health care workers and for diversifying the workforce.
03:04Community colleges are the most diverse sector of higher education. I know that just from
03:10representing Pennsylvania. We've got 15
03:12community colleges, and I'm amazed at the
03:17sophistication of the curriculum and how well prepared
03:21young people are coming out of those community colleges.
03:24How can we better use the opportunities that community colleges offer to help grow and diversify the health care workforce?
03:35It really was, at least for me, I didn't know how to study. I did poorly in high school.
03:40It wasn't until community college that I learned how to study, and I learned those
03:45skills. I used those skills at Stanford for medical school,
03:49those same study skills, and so I do think, as mentioned, I think it's an untapped resource. I think
03:56recruiting early and
03:58encouraging students to
04:00consider a career in medicine and other health care fields is a good source. Just like you said, it's a very diverse pool.
04:10To better use them and include them, it's to create pathway programs.
04:15In California, we have the California
04:19Medical Scholars Program,
04:21which is in development where they're linking community college, but it really is
04:26providing mentorship and guiding them, but it's not guaranteed acceptance, and that's where I think taking it a step further and
04:36guaranteeing these students and creating even a quota for medical school so that they can better reflect their community is a strategy
04:45for
04:48diversifying the workforce.
04:51Doctor, thanks very much, and before I conclude, I want to commend Dr. Cook for
04:56telling your story here today. The fact that you attended Drexel helps in my
05:01estimation, but it's a great American story, and I know you worked hard to achieve it,
05:07so thanks for being here today and providing that testimony.
05:10Thanks, Mr. Chairman.