For the past three years, Sisters on the Vineyard, held on Martha’s Vineyard, has become a vital summer health retreat where Black women gather to speak openly and honestly about a healthcare system that has too often failed them.
Neither the organizers nor the panels shy away from the fact that Black women have a 10% higher cancer death rate than white women. Black women have higher rates of chronic conditions like hypertension and obesity, and their maternal mortality rate is three to four times higher than that of white women.
Sisters on the Vineyard is a transformative health retreat founded after a concerning encounter between the event’s founder, Dr. Kordai DeCoteau, and a woman who, according to Dr. DeCoteau, worked for a premier cancer care hospital in the country.
“I asked her about a particular treatment to preserve hair follicles during chemotherapy called Cool Cap,” Dr. DeCoteau, who is also a breast cancer survivor, told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“When I made the joke about freezing during the treatment, she responded that she didn’t know what it was.”It was a heartbreaking moment of truth for Dr. DeCoteau. In that moment, she asked herself, if someone like that who works for a big health entity didn’t know about these things, what does “my average sister and brother” not know as well? The podiatrist and CEO sprang right into action to eliminate what she calls the “us versus them” gap between doctors and the public.
“As a doctor, I decided I had to make sure that women, especially women of color, were given the same privileges that I was afforded,” she told BE.
Dr. DeCoteau began speaking at events for various organizations, including a virtual session for the United Nations. Through her workshops, she was able to connect with Dr. Ricki Fairley, founder of Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance.
From there, they partnered with Dr. Renee Matthews, a health advocate known for her work in asthma and allergy education. With their shared passion for educating women of color about health and financial literacy, they created a platform in 2022 that enables women to openly and freely discuss their health, wellness, and finances.Sisters on the Vineyard Is Transforming Health Outcomes for Black Women
The annual event brings together influential leaders in medicine, business, and advocacy, creating a space for growth, education, and community. There is a breast cancer panel, sessions on weight loss, cardiovascular health, men’s health, mental health, and financial sessions.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there and [we’ve found] there is a huge need for transparent and factual information,” Matthews said. “Often, the people who disseminate the information don’t look like us, and we know there are complicit biases in medicine that make [our community] not so trusting.”
A 2023 study published in the JAMA Network found that Black people living in counties with a higher proportion of Black primary care physicians tend to live longer. Health outcomes for Black patients are better because they get more preventative medical care, Black doctors are inclined to write detailed notes for patients, and inform patients about available resources, especially for those who are low-income and underinsured.
“The lack of literacy in our community also has a huge impact on our communities that is breeding inequities,” Fairley added. “We also don’t talk about our health at the kitchen table. We’re dying of prostate cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer. We’re not getting diagnosed until it’s too late, because we don’t talk about it, and we don’t know our family history.”
Through sisterhood, care, and community, Sisters on the Vineyard is an annual event that uplifts and equips women with the tools they need to thrive both personally and professionally.
“Health is wealth and wealth is health,” says Fairley. “We can’t succeed without good health. People can go bankrupt in a heartbeat over an illness. It’s essential to consider health as a key component of a comprehensive wealth and financial plan. That’s what we cover here.”
Organizers are also expanding to include workshops that focus on men’s health and hosting more events outside of Martha’s Vineyard.
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