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I hadn’t heard of Ala Stanford before now, but I am glad I was able to read her book. What a woman! Born to a 13-year-old mother and teen father in a poor section of Philadelphia, she saw a Black female doctor when she was young and determined that she could become a doctor herself.
Stanford tells her story in this book, from those earliest days to now. She is an advocate for addressing inequities in health care and bringing quality medical care to Black people in underserved areas.
As Stanford went to college and medical school/training, she regularly faced naysayers who would discourage her goal of becoming a surgeon. As a Black woman, she had to constantly remind herself of what she could and would do. She had a few mentors who were Black men and women who gave her encouragement and advice.
She reached her goal and became a pediatric surgeon, a feat for anyone, let alone someone with her background.
Stanford wrote that she has always wanted to be a role model for other young people of color, particularly Black girls, so they can know that it’s possible for them to achieve what she has. She also says throughout the book that she has felt called to reach out and make a difference in her community.
While about two-thirds of the book is memoir, the last third or so is a call to action. When Covid-19 struck, it was well known that the Black community was disproportionately impacted by the virus. But they were not getting tested, let alone getting adequate care. So after struggling to get help from city, state and federal officials, Stanford simply formed her own organization and went out and started testing. She created the Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium, found people who could help her, got a van and bought testing supplies with her own savings.
It took time and trial and error, but she and her group got things done. They went to the people and slowly but surely gained trust among the Black community in Philadelphia. They did testing and then, when the vaccine was available, administered it. It was successful and ended up serving as a model for how to serve the people where they were.
Since then, Stanford has founded a health care center that can address most of the needs of that community in one part of Philadelphia. It has done very well, and she aims to replicate that model in other places.
She talks at the end of the book about the social determinants of health, which I’ve read about a number of other places. It’s vital for everyone to know about how these truly impact communities so those in most need can get appropriate care. Stanford lists ways that individuals can contribute to community health and how we all can make things better.
Take Care of Them Like My Own is truly inspirational and hopefully motivating to readers. I applaud Stanford for her incredible hard work and devotion to using her gifts and resources to help others.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes one use of strong language, a dozen instances of moderate profanity, 23 uses of mild language, and fewer than 10 instances of the name of Deity in vain. References to child sexual abuse and how author dealt with trauma, though no details of the abuse.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
