In January, Women & Infants Hospital awarded a $25,000 grant from the Constance A. Howes Women’s Health Innovation Research Fund to Dr. E. Christine Brousseau of the hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s Division of Research for a study on women’s preventive care.
Brousseau presented her project to a panel of scientific advisers and donors for the Constance A. Howes Fund in December. The project, entitled “A Pilot Study to Improve Contraceptive Access to an Underserved Population of Women,” studies access to preventive health care for women who have been previously incarcerated.
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Providence Business News asked her about her research.
PBN: Please tell us about this study. Do previously incarcerated women have particular problems accessing contraception?
BROUSSEAU: Yes. Incarcerated women report poor access to preventive health care and contraception prior to and after periods of incarceration.
PBN: What interested you in this line of research?
BROUSSEAU: My research interest is in improving reproductive health in underserved populations of women. My clinical work at the R.I. Adult Correctional Institution exposed me to the vulnerable population of women who often access medical services through brief periods of incarceration. There exists an opportunity to extend the public health system into the Department of Corrections, and contraception is one example.
PBN: Is this the only grant you’ve received for this work?
BROUSSEAU: I also have a grant from the [Rhode Island] Foundation to explore the provision of continuity of care from the jail to the community for pregnant women.
PBN: What are the health outcomes for mothers and children following pregnancy if the mother has been incarcerated in the past?
BROUSSEAU: There is very little data on these health outcomes. There is some literature that suggests that in very disadvantaged populations, health outcomes in pregnancy are improved by incarceration. We do know that having an incarcerated parent is now considered an adverse childhood event and periods of incarceration are very difficult on families.
PBN: What will the funding help pay for with this study? Do you have alternate funding sources?
BROUSSEAU: The grant funding is primarily to support the research assistant and statisticians who will work with me on this study. Contraception is supported at the Department of Corrections by Title X federal funding.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN contributing writer.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Dr. E. Christine Brousseau received the $25,000 grant from Women & Infants Hospital and answered the questions.
