Horizon Health Services
Horizon Health Alliance
From Pain to Power: Centering Maternal Wellness
From Pain to Power: Centering Maternal Wellness
From Pain to Power: Centering Maternal Wellness
Tuesday 15th July 2025
Explore Black maternal health challenges with insights from Horizon Health experts Amanda Czworka & Dominique Rodriguez. Learn about systemic disparities & solutions.
45 minutes
hopeful
challenging
informative
empathetic
empowering
About this podcast
Author:
Horizon Health Services
Overview:
Categories:
Sobriety Toolkit
Innovative Treatments & Recovery Paths
Recovery from Trauma
Family Recovery from Addiction
Financial Health in Recovery
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Episodes:
23 (View all)
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Get the buttons here!Empowering Black Maternal Health: Insights & Challenges
Episode Overview
- Black mothers face unique health challenges.
- Systemic racism affects maternal care outcomes.
- Adverse Childhood Events link to poor maternal health.
- Collaborative healthcare can improve maternal wellness.
- Advocating for person-centered prenatal care is crucial.
It's okay to advocate for yourself and expect that your providers will support you and see you as a whole person.
In this episode of the Heart to Heart podcast, Shakira Henry engages in a profound discussion with Amanda Czworka and Dominique Rodriguez from Horizon Health Services. The focus is on Black maternal health, a critical topic, especially during Black Maternal Mental Health Week. Amanda and Dominique, both experts in perinatal mental health, share their insights and experiences, emphasizing the disparities faced by Black mothers in the healthcare system.
Amanda Czworka, an advanced practice clinician, highlights systemic racism as a significant contributor to these disparities. She explains how unconscious biases in healthcare professionals can negatively impact Black maternal health outcomes. Amanda references the CDC Kaiser Permanente ACE study, which links higher Adverse Childhood Event (ACE) scores among Black females to poorer health outcomes, affecting their transition into motherhood.
Dominique Rodriguez, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, adds her perspective on the importance of personal experiences in shaping her focus on perinatal care. Both guests advocate for more collaborative healthcare systems that integrate mental health awareness into prenatal and postpartum care. They stress the need for healthcare providers to offer individualized, person-centered care that supports maternal wellness. The conversation also touches on the emotional and systemic challenges faced by Black mothers during and after pregnancy.
Amanda and Dominique emphasize the importance of advocacy, encouraging mothers to seek quality care and expect support from their healthcare providers. They call for a coordinated approach in the healthcare system to ensure comprehensive support for women of color. This episode serves as a powerful reminder of the need for awareness and action in addressing Black maternal health disparities. By fostering a collaborative and empathetic healthcare environment, we can empower mothers and improve health outcomes for the Black community.