Jacqueline Blocker is a lawyer and director of Metriarch, an Oklahoma women’s public health think tank. Experienced in public health and environmental justice policy, Blocker is a legislative policy expert and communication strategist who teaches others to use data and resources effectively to build capacity for evidence-based policy implementation. As an Indigenous woman and descendant of the original Greenwood in Tulsa, Okla., Blocker channels her great-grandmother’s entrepreneurial attitude into community efforts to improve maternal health outcomes and eradicate barriers to reproductive health in Oklahoma. She played a critical role in increasing pregnancy coverage under SoonerCare, making Oklahoma one of the first states to provide Medicaid reimbursement for doula care. Blocker values having the opportunity to educate her community about the issues impacting public health while democratizing access to resources and data.
Previously
Stigma and taboo are powerful, yet often invisible, forces in healthcare. By sowing seeds of fear and shame, these cultural barriers delay diagnosis, inhibit treatment, and de...