Providers Accountable for Obstetric/Gynecological Violence Against Women & Birthing People 

On Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 1:00pm I was treated abusively and given substandard medical care by my then obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Michelle Yvette Francis, at Mount Sinai in New York, NY. I was insulted and on the receiving end of undue shouting, foot stomping, offensive racial remarks, and the waving of vaginal medical instruments wildly in the air before they entered my body. My healthcare concerns were dismissed and left undocumented in my post appointment notes, my body was pathologized and disrespected. The experience was traumatic, but unfortunately mistreatment of OBGYN patients is pervasive throughout the healthcare system and is a peculiar form of violence against women. 

Legislation is required to protect patients from going through what I endured or worse. Mount Sinai reached out to partner with me to use my experience as a case study, but when I followed up it became clear there was never positive intent, now they want to sweep this under the rug. Help prevent the erasure of my experience and others by staying connected with me after signing, click through here. 

I was given subhuman treatment, Mount Sinai tried to put my pain on display for faculty and when they could not exploit my trauma, they discarded me without anyone taking accountability for how Dr. Francis treated me while profiting from abusiveness. 

I have blogged about my experience on Medium.com | Read Anatomy of a Self-Hating Black Woman Unmasking Obstetric & Gynecological Violence

Please Support this list of Demands:

• Dr. Michelle Y. Francis apologize to Roslyn J. Smith in person with a mediator of Ms. Smith’s choice present.
• Dr. Michelle Y. Francis be suspended and take retraining on patient experience, emotional intelligence, anger management and cultural competency, overseen by someone independent from the Mount Sinai Health System network.
• Dr. Michelle Y. Francis be restricted from treating OBGYN patients without supervision for the remainder of her tenure in medicine.

Emails to the following would really help (Template Below):

1.      Kenneth Davis, CEO and President, Mount Sinai Health Systems: kenneth.davis@mountsinai.org

2.      Erica Rubenstein, Vice President of Patient Experience: erica.rubinstein@mountsinai.org

3.      Joanne Stone, Department Chair, Ob/Gyn: joanne.stone@mssm.edu

4.      Toni Stern, System Vice Chair Quality and Clinical Transformation, Chief Patient Experience Officer, toni.stern@mssm.edu,

5.      Andres Moreira, Senior Director, Patient Experience, Diversity Council Co-Chair: andres.moreira@mountsinai.org

6.      Mount Sinai Patient Relations: MSWpatientrelations@mountsinai.org

You are welcome to CC or BCC me via email info@RoslynSmith.com or share on social media @rahzlioness  #OBGYNJustice  #BreaktheSilence #SupportRoslyn 

Health providers have a responsibility to treat everyone with respect including their own colleagues. In 2019 Mount Sinai was sued by female staff for gender harassment and discrimination, there is a culture among the ranks that enabled my mistreatment while I was a patient. The experience I had resonates with many women and particularly women of color throughout the healthcare system. 

I hope that by spreading awareness and encouraging others to break the silence, our leaders will enact policies to protect women and eradicate obstetric-gynecological violence.

If you would like to stay connected in this advocacy or have experienced mistreatment from Dr. Michelle Y. Francis and/or obstetric-gynecological violence at Mount Sinai in NYC, then please reach out to me:  Stay Connected With Roslyn J. Smith

[Email Template, Copy/Paste]: 

Dear [Director Name]

My name is [Name] and I am a [role] at [company/industry name or concerned citizen]. I am writing to ask that you address obstetric and gynecological violence within your hospital. 

Specifically, I read Ms. Roslyn Smith’s experience with Dr. Michelle Yvette Francis. Surely we can agree that her OBGYN appointment did not meet the standard of quality care. I was most struck by [insert part of Roslyn’s experience]. This mistreatment is unacceptable, Dr. Francis should be held accountable and apologize to Ms. Smith. 

This issue is important because [describe your personal experience with this issue and how it has affected either you or someone you care about].

When women and birthing people are not treated well by OBGYNs or other healthcare providers it sows seeds of community distrust and discourages necessary preventative health screenings. The public should be able to trust doctors and healthcare providers. That is why I strongly urge you to consider implementing an open and transparent system that would hold faculty accountable when they miss the mark. 

Thank you for your time. I hope that this letter gets you to start thinking about this important issue and ways to tangibly solve it. I also look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]