Pregnancy Care and Research
More than 4,000 babies are delivered at U of U Health each year. When the pandemic began, the U already had the groundwork to offer virtual care to expecting mothers, thanks to a program launched two years ago by maternal-fetal medicine physician Erin Clark HBS’98 MS’09. Most patients now use the program, but before the pandemic, only about 10%-20% did.
“We know that pregnant women are more likely to have severe illness from COVID-19 and are more likely to require intensive care and to die,” Clark says. “The program was initially introduced as a way to provide more patient-centered prenatal care. Now it’s instrumental in our efforts to keep mothers and babies safe.”
But with so much rapid change, it’s still unknown if increased virtual visits for expecting mothers will affect outcomes. Torri Metz MS’12, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, is leading a national study to analyze medical records of 21,000 pregnant women to understand if the changes made to health care in the wake of the pandemic resulted in higher rates of complications and cesarean deliveries. It will also determine the risk of COVID-positive mothers passing the virus to their fetuses.
“The questions we will address in this study are ones that a lot of practitioners and women who are pregnant or are considering getting pregnant are asking themselves,” Metz says. “Hopefully, this study will illuminate some of the answers so that we can better counsel women on what to expect.”
U researchers have also been studying whether women even want to get pregnant during a pandemic. It’s a question Rebecca Simmons BS’05 MPH’11 PhD’16, a research assistant professor in family planning, has been asking in conjunction with a research partnership called the HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative, which helps provide free birth control to women.
“A significant number reported it’s much more important for them to delay pregnancy right now than it was a year ago,” she explains. The women report being concerned about access to their providers, getting prescriptions, and being able to pay for birth control. The results suggest making a wide variety of birth control methods easily available to couples, says Simmons.
Domestic Violence
Domestic abuse jumps during times of crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic has been no exception. Police departments and shelters in Utah and around the country recorded spikes of crisis calls during the spring when emergency orders closed workplaces and schools, leaving individuals isolated with their abusers.
While the lockdowns have lifted, the stressors that can lead to conflict have continued, with many Utahns still unemployed or working reduced hours, and children at home for school some or all of the time. These are also factors that isolate victims from potential helpers. At the same time, gun and alcohol sales, known predictors of domestic violence, are increasing.
“Ultimately, we are looking at many social forces combining at once: COVID-19, domestic violence, criminal justice reform, and the skyrocketing firearm sales in this state,” says Sonia Salari, professor of family and consumer studies. “For families and organizations holding on by a thread, there is a perfect storm brewing. It is likely we will not understand the full magnitude of its consequences for years to come.”
She and others are studying the impact of COVID on victims, shelters, police, and the courts. The goal is to make recommendations on what can be done to protect victims of intimate partner violence, elder abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking as we cope with the virus spread. “In a time of pandemic, there are other crises that happen too that are ongoing and can be exacerbated,” says Annie Isabel Fukushima, assistant professor of ethnic studies, who is part of the study. “If you’re losing jobs or being furloughed or your housing situation is precarious, you’re more likely to stay in an abusive situation.”
Last fall, the U also launched a new center focused on prevention of relationship and sexual violence on college campuses. The McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention now brings together the expertise of researchers, prevention educators, and students to bridge the gap between research and practice.
You have left us, who are 70+ and who are now, taking care of their older husbands. We are feeling the same neglect and would love to have a relief from the day to day fight of not letting things get behind while taking on additional work (garbage, grocery, and dinner). Or any meal for that matter.
There’s always some broad assumptions implied by these statistics. Is there a true gender gap, where women and men working the same position are really being paid differently, or is there more of a choice gap, where women choose different roles than men, statistically? Will we truly consider men and women equal only when they are completely homogenized and, statistically speaking, equally share paid work and unpaid household work? Is the implication that unpaid household work, caring for children, raising the next generation is somehow inferior work really justified? Is a paid job supporting America’s insatiable need to consume media or clothes or electronics more worthy than an unpaid job teaching children language, arts, sciences, and how to socialize, or preparing meals for the household? Why will the gender gap never be considered to be filled until statistics show that, on average, both genders or all races are valuing the same things and sharing every possible job position equally? If different groups just happen to choose different priorities, is that truly inequality, or just diversity? Equality is giving people the choice to do with their lives what they will, and equal pay for the same job positions, not necessarily a homogeneous world where every gender and every race have the exact same values and priorities. We need to be sure to measure inequality accurately and carefully validate assumptions from multiple angles, so we can create effective social policies that truly promote equal opportunity.
Your response neglects to address the causes and conditions that have brought us to this point. The questions that I find more valuable to this topic are:
How do we, as a society, determine what work is worth? In my experience, roles traditionally held by men tend to carry more value in society.
How do we, as a society, define “work”? In my experience, work has traditionally been associated with the efforts and achievements of men, rather than women.
Who has the cultural capitol to access the most secure and highest paid career tracks in the US? The answer, in most cases, continues to be men, especially if you look at STEM fields or high level executive track positions.
While I agree that folks in the US should have the choice to pursue the career track they desire, I do not believe this is always the case. I would argue that many women face multiple barriers to accessing the most coveted sectors of our economy. I also do not believe we fully pay folks what they are worth, especially in career tracks (customer service and education, for example) that have traditionally been held by women. If we address more of these systemic issues, I believe will see more diverse representation – they type you are referring to.
I don’t believe this article acknowledges the need to care for elderly parents. Please don’t forget this huge and important group of family members and caregivers. As a caregiver to my mother with Alzheimer’s, who has zero help, I feel the same stresses as a parent. Perhaps I feel more stress because if my mother gets COVID, it will most likely be much scarier than if an elementary student gets COVID. Thank you for listening.