“We’re already seeing it’s paying off,” said Annerieke Smaak Daniel, a Researcher at Human Rights Watch, one of the groups leading the effort. “We know through conversations that advocates have had that that they know that parents have gone and gotten kids vaccinated against the HPV vaccine.”
“When you see Black women dying at such high rates from a disease, we know is highly preventable, it’s highly treatable, it’s very clear whose health and whose rights our government is invested in and is prioritizing,” said Smaak Daniel. As part of the effort, six women were hired to hold conversations with members of their communities to prevent deaths from cervical cancer in counties with higher rates, Marengo, Sumpter, Lowdnes, Wilcox, Crain, and Bullock.
The women are holding listening sessions and advocating with other women in their area to identify barriers to getting care. The lack of Medicaid expansion, not having gynecologists in many counties and the stigma around the disease are common barriers to care.