Healthy with VCU Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, and most of the maternal deaths are preventable. This heightened risk spans all income and education levels. While multiple factors contribute to this disparity, the bottom line remains the same — we must act now to reduce this inequity.

Black Maternal Health week takes place every year from April 11-17. It is an observance that strives to bring awareness to the disparity and amplify the voices and experiencers of Black pregnant individuals.

Dr. Tashima Lambert Giles, an OB/GYN at VCU Health, discuss the importance of Black maternal health and what the health system — and its patients — can do to improve outcomes.

Of the more than 6 million Americans living with heart failure, about 10% have advanced heart failure and when conventional heart therapies and symptom management strategies are no longer working, you may need more advanced options. Dr. Keyur Shah discusses the options available to treat advanced heart failure.

For patients with a brain tumor diagnosis, it's important to know that there is effective individualized medical care and support focused on you. Dr. Mariza Daras discusses specializing and holistic care for people with brain tumors at the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

This series is designed to offer team member views on VCU Health’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as it relates to patient care, team member experience and community engagement. The series will feature guests from various departments throughout VCU Health. Guests will share their commitment to making our organization the best it can be and offer an in-depth view into our mutual human connection and how these commonalities improve successful outcomes of diversity, equity and inclusion for everyone.

Acaba de descubrir que está embarazada. Está emocionada, pero también un poco ansiosa porque no está segura de qué hacer y a dónde ir. Aunque escoger el nombre para el bebé puede ser uno de sus primeros pensamientos, hay otras decisiones importantes que tomar. ¿Quiénes quiere que forme parte de su equipo de atención médica durante su embarazo y más allá? ¿Y cuáles son algunas de las decisiones clave que necesita tomar en su primer trimestre?

Meghan Noonan, enfermera partera certificada en VCU Health, le explicará las opciones de atención médica y le guiará a través de algunas decisiones para navegar su primer trimestre y embarazo. Junto con ginecólogos obstetras, enfermeras y con usted, las enfermeras parteras certificadas le empoderan para tener la experiencia de parto que desea mientras le preparan para ser una nueva madre.

This series is designed to offer team member views on VCU Health’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as it relates to patient care, team member experience and community engagement. The series will feature guests from various departments throughout VCU Health. Guests will share their commitment to making our organization the best it can be and offer an in-depth view into our mutual human connection and how these commonalities improve successful outcomes of diversity, equity and inclusion for everyone.

Since opening this year, Children's Tower is Richmond's new home for pediatric in-patient emergency and level 1 trauma care. Dr. Matt Schefft discusses how the Children's Tower is improving care for kids in Richmond and beyond.

In oncology, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is synonymous with the highest standard of cancer research in the U.S. Nearly 50 years ago, Massey Cancer Center first became an NCI-designated cancer center in 1975 and has maintained this status every five years – when the NCI evaluates Massey for its transdisciplinary research and approaches to cancer prevention and treatment. This year, the NCI declared Massey a Comprehensive Cancer Center, its highest level of recognition. In this episode, Dr. Robert A. Winn, director of the VCU Massey Cancer Center and senior associate dean for cancer innovation and professor of pulmonary disease and critical care medicine at the VCU School of Medicine, discusses Massey’s latest NCI achievement, and explains the impact this accolade will have on the cancer center and its community. An NCI-designation is not just an award. It comes with an array of opportunities for cancer centers to deepen their research, recruit top-tier scientists and advance pathways for new cancer treatments.

Hearing your obstetrician, midwife or nurse practitioner say that your pregnancy may be high-risk can trigger a wave of emotions. Today, we will be talking with Dr. Whitney Bender, OB-GYN, and maternal fetal medicine specialist at VCU Health, who will share what you need to know if you have been told you have a high-risk pregnancy so you can have the healthiest and safest outcome for you and your baby.

This series is designed to offer team member views on VCU Health’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as it relates to patient care, team member experience and community engagement. The series will feature guests from various departments throughout VCU Health. Guests will share their commitment to making our organization the best it can be and offer an in-depth view into our mutual human connection and how these commonalities improve successful outcomes of diversity, equity and inclusion for everyone.