This special issue of your JMSMA focuses on improving women’s health outcomes through the use of comprehensive strategies addressing the often complex medical needs and issues of women, whose overall health is tied closely to that of the children and men surrounding them. Women constitute over half of Mississippi’s general population, with the Kaiser Family Foundation estimating that there are approximately 849,000 women ages 19-64 in the state in 2022.1 Jennifer Gholson, MD, Director of the newly created Mississippi Center for Rural Health, stresses that women are the lifeblood of our society, the indispensable element which holds families together. Citing data from the U. S. Department of Labor, she notes that women make 80% of healthcare decisions for their families.2 Investment in their health and quality of life clearly has a positive ripple effect in the lives of their families.

Unfortunately, women’s health care disparities continue to plague our state. Melissa Stephens, MD, this issue’s guest editor and one of the leading physician educators in the state, outlines the many challenges facing our female patients in Mississippi, pointing to statistics which rank Mississippi the least healthy state in our nation for women and children. The state has high overall levels of diabetes and obesity, which contribute significantly to our state’s staggering rates of heart disease and cancer. Dr. Stephens writes that the good news about women’s health in our state is that “many of these health conditions are preventable.”3

Dr. Stephens also mentions extraordinary social and economic disparities impacting health outcomes. Mississippi leads the nation with the highest rate of uninsured. Increasing access to healthcare is central to improving the health of women, indeed, of all Mississippians. Dr. Gholson agrees, asserting that, “A focus on full access to primary medical care by all women at all stages of their lives is the imperative first step to solve the riddle of women’s healthcare disparities.”2 We need to address maternal morbidity and mortality; cervical and breast cancer can be reduced with better prevention and screening. HPV vaccination can save both female and male lives. We must not forget the devastating effects of mental illness and substance abuse. Too frequently in our state women are the targets of assault and battery and gun violence.

According to Dr. Stephens, physicians play a critical role in creating a healthier Mississippi for women.3 They should, Dr. Gholson argues, place a higher priority on making sure women are healthy.2 As physicians we can and must encourage better local and state policy choices, as well as better patient personal choices, which can improve and save women’s lives. By empowering women in their health journeys and by focusing on primary care access at all stages of life, we can achieve a healthier Mississippi for both men and women.

Contact me at drluciuslampton@gmail.com. — Lucius M. Lampton, MD. Editor