CONTINUED- Called to Medicine..... Called to Community An Intimate Chat with Dr. Jelisa Timmons
DZ – I have to tell you that your bedside manner and your communication has spoiled my Mom and Me. We are so fortunate to have you as our primary care physician. Tell us about your journey to the Greater Richmond Area. This region is blessed to have you.
JT – Thank you! That really does mean a lot. Well, as mentioned in my bio, I am a Florida native. I was born and raised there, most of my extended family lives there. My village was very much so apart of my narrative. I grew up in a small town, so I lived down the street from my aunts and uncles, went after school with my grandparents, went to school with my cousins. I had a very strong matriarchal presence in my up bringing, so my mom, my grandmother, my great-grand mother, my aunts, and great-aunts, were all apart of my story. I watched them care for each other and the people around them, and it didn’ t matter if you were related by blood or not. They opened their doors to people who needed home and family.
Dr. McGrath, the OBGYN I mentioned, was very intentional about treating people with kindness and respect; he treated patients like family. Now that was something I could get with, that was something familiar. So, when I moved to the Richmond area for residency, I brought those experiences with me. I knew that when I went into medicine, it was with the intention of becoming the physician I wish I had or becoming the type of physician I would want to care for my family. And honestly, when I am interacting with patients and teaching patients, I ask myself“ How would I explain this to my Grandma Sherian?” or“ How would I explain this to my Aunty Mable?” or“ How would I explain this to my daddy, with his hardheaded self?” I really do care deeply for my patients, and over the years, it honestly feels like many of my patients have become like family.
DZ – Our audience is primarily African American and Latino Women, ages 35 and above. Would you mind sharing some statistics about the some of the health concerns you see plaguing our communities the most?
JT – For starters, I think that one of the most profound statistics surrounds maternal health. In the US Black women are 3-4 times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes compared to white women. This exceeds any maternal mortality in any other race in the US. While I don’ t practice OB, as a woman who takes care of other women, this is disappointing and scary and unacceptable. So, the care of women pre-pregnancy is very important to me, especially those of us contemplating child rearing at 35 and older. When it comes to chronic disease and lifestyle, there are several diseases that plague our community.
- The # 1 killer in black women is cardiovascular disease. 49 % of black women over the age of 20 have some form of cardiovascular disease.- Hypertension( high blood pressure): estimated 50-60 % of black women over the age of 20 have high blood pressure but only 50 % of those women have it under control. 29 % of Hispanic women and 31 % of white women
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