Celebrating Black History with Occupational Therapist Baltany Michel
Baltany Michel’s mother always wanted her to become a nurse, but she never wanted to work in health care. Instead, she became an elementary school teacher, and loved helping kids.
However, when Michel’s mother had several knee surgeries and was struggling to regain her ability to walk, they met a physical therapist who changed both of their lives.
“He came in and spoke life back into my mother. He educated her, gave her just what she needed at that moment, and she got up and walked,” she said.
He also helped Michel realize the impact she could have working in rehabilitative medicine.
She learned more about the field of occupational therapy (OT) and then went back to school to become a therapist herself. After years of working in different areas of OT, she found her calling working with patients recovering from strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and other neurological conditions at Jackson North Medical Center.
“I’m still a teacher at heart. I’ll always be an educator,” she said “But now I’m helping to rehabilitate people and teach them at the same time.”
While Michel teaches her patients the skills they need to regain independence, she also educates patients and their families about neurological conditions that disproportionately affect the Black community.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 50 percent more likely to have a stroke as compared to their white adult counterparts – a problem Michel experiences firsthand at Jackson North.
“People are lacking education and knowledge – we need to do better,” she said. “When we have patients in our rehab program, we’re educating them constantly, and teaching their families about the causes of stroke, prevention, lifestyle modifications, and warning signs.”
As a teacher, Michel spent every February telling her students about Black Americans who made important contributions to our country. Now, she sees Black History Month in a broader light.
“Black History Month is a full affirmation of the past, the present, and the future,” she said. “I recognize everything that was done, and all the people and contributions that helped me get to where I am today.”
As a Black woman of Haitian descent and a medical provider working with a diverse community, Michel sees how essential representation is in the medical community. She emphasized that more work needs to be done to acknowledge and address health disparities, biases, and the need for cultural understanding.
“If we find a way to educate people, not only on medical issues but also educate more people to be open to becoming healthcare professionals, it will help to alleviate those disparities,” Michel said. “There’s still a long road ahead and a lot of barriers to break down, but I’m hopeful.”