Healthcare works well.
Until a woman is homeless.
I remember a patient who came in late.
Not because she didn’t care.
Because she didn’t have a place to go.
She was living in her car.
Trying to figure out where to park at night.
Where to use the bathroom.
How to manage her period without a home.
She laughed at one point and said:
“I just try to stay clean enough to get through the day.”
Clean enough.
That’s the standard she had been forced to accept.
As a gynecologist, I see this more than people realize.
And here is what we don’t talk about enough:
Homeless women experience significantly higher rates of:
• untreated infections
• unintended pregnancy
• sexual trauma
• chronic gynecologic conditions
Some studies estimate that up to 1 in 4 homeless women cannot consistently access menstrual products.
We talk about women’s health like it is a lifestyle conversation.
Hydration. Sleep. Wellness.
But for many women, it is a survival conversation.
Where do I go to the bathroom?
How do I stay clean?
What do I do when something hurts?
We built systems that expect patients to show up
on time
clean
with transportation
with resources
And then label them non-compliant when they can’t.
Survival is not non-compliance.
It’s adaptation.
We talk about self-care like it’s a choice.
For some women, it’s a luxury.
We built a system that works perfectly
for people who don’t need it the most.
This is not just a healthcare issue.
It is an access issue.
A leadership issue.
A dignity issue.
And this is exactly what I speak about in my keynote.
How women’s health changes depending on access
and how systems, leadership, and policy shape outcomes long before a patient ever walks into a room.
If you’re building programs, leading teams, or shaping policy for women, this is a conversation your organization needs.
These are the conversations that change how people think.
If this resonates, share it.
Question:
What would healthcare look like if it actually worked for the women who need it most?