Pilot Research Study Project:
“Providing Expanded Continuous Labor Support to Pregnant Women in New Mexico with Substance Use Disorders (Project Supporting Maternity - SuM)”
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Pregnant women with substance use disorders disproportionately have low socio-economic status and mental health diagnoses, especially related to trauma they’ve experienced. This TREE Center funded study” is a collaboration between UNM research (Pilar Sanjuan-CASAA), UNM Health Sciences research and treatment (Lawrence Leeman-DFCM and Milagro Program), community research (Micaela Cadena-Young Women United), and community doulas (UNM Birth Companion Project). In New Mexico and most of the country, doula services are not covered by Medicaid, creating a behavioral health disparity by which women with high economic status predominantly have access to these supportive services during their pregnancies. This project explores the feasibility of offering trauma and substance use-trained doulas at no cost to women in specialized obstetric and substance use treatment, and it is ultimately aimed at informing efforts to secure Medicaid coverage for doulas in New Mexico. The first half of this project involved setting up collaborations between UNM, Young Women United, and the UNM Birth Companion Project to establish overall research design, including the planning for in-clinic recruitment, assessment, and doula visit interactions within clinic operations and over the course of labor and delivery. We have now conducted baseline assessments with 10 women in the Milagro program, doulas have attended births of 8 babies, and 5 women completed the study. We have a 100% follow-up rate from baseline to follow-up. Preliminary results indicate very high satisfaction, with 100% reporting doulas made their pregnancy much easier, that it was very helpful emotionally and socially to have doulas at the birth, and that they would want doulas for future childbirths. 80% also felt doulas were very helpful physically (pain control & birth process).
Submitted by: Pilar Sanjuan and Young Women United
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Health Equity & LGBTQ+ Rights
By Justin Garoutte, MPH & Lisa Cacari Stone, PhD
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Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people suffer greater health disparity risks compared to cisgender heterosexual populations due to intersectional minority stressors, exposure to social stigma, discrimination, violence and unequal treatment and lack of culturally-competent health care. Though chronic conditions and risk factors (e.g., cardiovascular disease [CVD], obesity and diabetes) are not necessarily more common among this population, sexual minority New Mexicans have reported higher rates of asthma, smoking, binge drinking, disability, depression, anxiety, and attempted suicide, than heterosexual New Mexicans (NMDOH, 2018). Additionally, LGBTQ+ rights and human rights are under attack by the current political environment. For instance, on May 24, the Trump administration released a proposed regulation that in effect says “gender identity” is not protected under federal laws that prohibit sex discrimination in health care. This would reverse the ACA health care discrimination protections for transgender people exacerbating existing barriers to care and forcing SGM New Mexican’s to remain without needed preventative medicine or specialty treatments. To commemorate the role of the Stonewall Uprising in advancing LGBTQ+, rights and advocacy for health equity throughout New Mexico, The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) and the UNM Transdisciplinary Research, Equity and Engagement Center for Advancing Behavioral Health (TREE Center) have teamed up to move “evidence to action” for advancing health equity at this year’s pride events. Join us for Pride 2019 on Saturday, June 8 in Albuquerque and on Saturday, June 29 in Santa Fe. We will be passing out infographics to raise awareness of “
HOW”
we can achieve LGBTQ+ health equity including:
- ensuring school environments protect LGBTQ+ youth from suicide
- supporting family and friends to advance LGBTQ+ well-being
- preventing interpersonal violence and sexual assault
- listening to what our bodies tell us about “trauma”
- knowing your rights to culturally and LGBTQ+ responsive health care
- Coming out of the “closet” with eating disorders: What are the risks and solutions?
Help us spreading the word about how research and advocacy can improve the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ communities in New Mexico.
Sources:
https://www.pire.org/Center/Detail?id=2950cf36-aa6f-46d4-84d6-5327278bca76
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Fellowships
Alcohol Research Group Pre/Post-Doc Fellowships
ARG is a nationally and internationally recognized center for research on alcohol epidemiology, policy, and intervention that is located in Emeryville, CA. Fellowships are sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and offer research training in the study of alcohol and drug use and problems, including basic and applied social and epidemiological research. Although some of the research at ARG considers clinical issues, fellowships are not appropriate for persons interested primarily in clinical practice. The program focuses on alcohol-related disparities, the program is particularly interested in applicants with research interests in socially or economically disadvantaged groups (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, sexual minorities, women, and those of low socioeconomic status), but others will also be considered.
Deadline: June 30, 2019
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