Dr. Dionne Mahaffey has developed an AI-powered platform, Behavioral Health Notes, to decrease the time mental health professionals spend recording notes. The Need For Efficiency in Mental Health Documentation The mental health sector has long faced challenges related to clinician burnout, increased by time-consuming administrative tasks. According to a recent report by Accenture, using AI in healthcare could save up to $150 billion annually by 2026, mainly by reducing such inefficiencies. A solution was needed for mental health professionals, where documentation can extend into personal time. Introducing Behavioral Health Notes Dr. Mahaffey, a
A recent study has revealed that Black patients may be less likely than their white counterparts to receive responses from doctors to their online queries. The study in JAMA Network Open is based on examining medical advice request messages sent in 2021 to Boston Medical Center, a major safety-net provider. As the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with substantial growth in patient portal messaging, the researchers scrutinized over 39,000 messages from primary care patients during this time. Black Patients Less Likely To Get A Response Of the patients included in the sample, 2006 were Asian, 21600
AI’s inability to detect signs of depression in social media posts by Black Americans was revealed in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). This disparity raises concerns about the implications of using AI in healthcare, especially when these models lack data from diverse racial and ethnic groups. The Study The study, conducted by researchers from Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and its School of Engineering and Applied Science, employed an “off the shelf” AI tool to analyze language in posts from 868 volunteers. These participants, comprising equal
Postpartum difficulties and a gap in the wellness industry led LaDonna Welch to create a mental health app, Ebony Notes, designed to affirm the Black community. Meet LaDonna Welch Welch advocates for diversity, equity, representation, personal growth, and inclusion. After giving birth to her second child in 2012, she learned she had postpartum and seasonal depression when she went to a doctor to discuss her symptoms. “They suggested that I speak to someone, and I was in my 30s. At this point, I had never even considered talking to anyone,”
A new study by Emagine Solutions Technology suggests that pregnancy apps lack key features to serve modern maternal health needs. Emagine Solutions Technology provides a new level of care for pregnant women by combining handheld ultrasound and remote patient monitoring software to improve maternal health outcomes. The platform was developed by Courtney Williams, who in 2021 won a second prize award for Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Initiative. The investment firm Black Ambition, founded by Pharrell in 2020, is dedicated to supporting Black and Latinx business owners. Williams told AfroTech about her complications following childbirth during the
Developer and entrepreneur Ida Byrd-Hill is the visionary behind the Life Culture Audit vision board app, helping the Black community set and achieve their career and finance goals. The power of visualization Ida Byrd-Hill knows firsthand how visualization can change your life. In 2017, she founded the cybersecurity and tech re-skilling firm Automation Workz 4 U, later named Automation Workz Institute. When investors refused to invest in her firm, Byrd-Hill decided to sell her Detroit residence, car, and retirement funds and enter voluntary poverty. Four years later, Byrd-Hill has managed to
A Black birthing review app, Irth, is making its way into hospitals to improve Black families’ experiences. The Irth App Irth is a mobile app that collects and shares healthcare reviews from parents of color. The name comes from the word birth, with the ‘b’ dropped for bias. The app helps Black and brown women and birthing people have a safer and more empowered pregnancy experience by allowing users to see how other parents of color experience care from a doctor or at a hospital. The app enables Black birthing
Black women have long contributed to British history, culture, and life, but, like their American sisters, they do so in the face of racism and sexism. Black women’s experiences of microaggressions and discrimination mean they are more likely to experience mental health disorders than white women. They also have negative experiences of mental health care. Their treatment often involves law enforcement for Black women, with fewer opportunities for talking therapies. Black women are also over four times more likely to be involuntarily detained compared to other racial groups in Britain.
Black founder Katara McCarty launched her app, EXHALE, in 2020 after struggling to find an app suited to Black women’s wellbeing. Exhale App EXHALE is the first emotional well-being app designed for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC). EXHALE was born from the idea that the Black and Brown community is holding its breath, waiting for the next video of police brutality, the next micro-aggression, or the following adverse health impact statistic. “It’s time to exhale – to breathe out all that isn’t serving BIWOC and breathe in healing, energy and
Empowering Motherhood: The Black-Owned App Revolutionizes Pre And Post-Natal Care Through Technology
The Aster app was created to help women keep track of their pregnancy, communicate with a care team on the app and book appointments and remote monitoring. Founder of Aster FiFi Kara created the app after witnessing her family’s distress as her nephew was brought into the world. “After an emergency CAT 1 C-Section delivery, he required over seven minutes of resuscitation before he took his very first breath,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “The fact that both my nephew and sister are now thriving feels like a miracle, yet this narrative is sadly
