Health Literacy on the Road: New Orleans Trip Recap
The original reason for visiting New Orleans was two-fold. Yes, I wanted to listen to jazz, dance in the streets and eat hot, sugary beignets and walk the gas lighted streets of the French Quarter until my feet hurt. I wanted to stand in the archways, tilting my neck to gaze at the architecture as my ears picked up the soft hints of bucket drumming from a distance.
More importantly, as the long hot days appeared and crowds of African Americans descended on the city to return to the annual Essence Music Festival, one thing became very clear to me:
I had a unique opportunity to have conversations about health, access to care and the importance of taking action early and getting those wellness screenings.
So, as I joined several other Black Breasties and partnered with the nonprofit organization TouchBBCA to have the opportunity to talk about their breast cancer initiative When We Trial, I realized a few important themes as I moved through the crowd. Here’s what I wanted to share:
Getting the right diagnosis: There were a lot of young adults that I talked to that did not know about the differences in diagnostic tests used to determine if someone has breast cancer. The majority had heard about mammography. A large percentage that I spoke to were getting that form of screening but so many had no clue as to what dense breast tissue was and its significance. I was shocked to hear so many women tell me that they did not know the importance of discussing other options like 3D imaginary or an ultrasound to screen for breast cancer with their doctor. I revealed that at one point I had dense breast tissue and an ultrasound was the test that eventually found my breast tumor, not a mammogram!
Fear of finding out: I learned there are a lot of young people who are afraid to get their wellness screenings even though they acknowledge a family history of cancer. I met a wonderful young couple who admitted that although they both knew screening were an important tool in their overall health, both lacked the confidence to do so. The young man admitted that his girlfriend was insistent that he follow through and get his health screenings while she delayed getting a mammogram! The young woman stepped forward and admitted that she “was frightened and scared to go and get the testing done.” My advice to the lovers was to work together to support and encourage the action steps that lead to getting that important wellness screening. Lean on each other for support and take advantage of the screening tools that are available.
Triumph in the face of adversity: Lastly, I chatted with a lot of savvy folks who told me their stories of triumph in the face of adversity. I smiled when listening to their stories. We have always been such resilient people. Although there is plenty of research out there that acknowledges what we all know Black women often receive inferior care when it comes to breast (and other diagnostic screening) we are demanding better quality of care and recognize that accepting substandard care is not in our vocabulary. It’s just unacceptable plain and simple. I was really glad to hear the stories of resilience!
