Black Maternal Health Week

Held annually from April 11 to 17, Black Maternal Health Week is a campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA) to raise awareness, increase activism, and encourage community-building as a means of amplifying the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people.

Maternal health continues to be a national priority as we see a disproportionate number of Black women experiencing a host of preventable, pregnancy-related adverse events. In New York City the pregnancy-related mortality ratio (PRMR) is, on average, 9.2 times higher for Black mothers compared to White mothers, due largely to the structural racism and social inequities inherent in access to and quality of care. Research shows that low-income pregnant women endure higher rates of maternal mortality and, due in part to limited access to nutritious foods, are more susceptible to preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, and preterm labor. In addition, underutilization of prenatal and postpartum care render women of color less likely to receive preventive healthcare. It was reported in 2021 that roughly 24.2% of pregnant women aged 18–44 years in NYC reported never having talked with a healthcare provider about ways to prepare for a healthy pregnancy .

At Healthfirst we emphasize the importance of our members receiving respectful, quality care and acknowledge the nuances that come with serving a diverse population. Our Healthfirst Cares maternity program supports the journey of women from pre- to post-pregnancy. Among its primary goals is having our members reach full-term delivery with minimal complications via clinical and social supports. As part of this initiative, we have built strategies and interventions that address maternal health disparities and support racial concordance.

For this year’s Black Maternal Health Week, we are pleased to collaborate with one of our sponsor hospitals, Northwell Health , to provide CME credits to qualifying providers that attend the Sexual and Reproductive Justice: Respectful Care at Birth Training virtual sessions. The objectives of the virtual sessions are to:

• Define the Sexual and Reproductive Justice framework and how it applies to daily clinical practices.
• Discuss ways to implement the NYC Standards for Respectful Care at Birth
• Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of racism and discrimination within medical institutions (historic/contemporary) on patient care and outcomes, with a focus on racial and ethnic inequities in Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM)/Maternal Mortality (MM).
• Demonstrate an understanding of equity as a concept and practice within the context of eliminating racial and ethnic inequities in SMM/MM.

This activity was planned by and for MDs/DOs, RNs & NPs. All other members of the healthcare team who are interested in Respectful Care at Birth, including physician assistants, midwives, and doulas, are invited to attend.

Thank you to Dr. Amitasrigowri Murthy , Medical Liaison with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and a practicing Ob/Gyn, and to Jacqueline Quinones, Lead Hospital Coordinator, Maternity Hospital Quality Improvement Network for lending their time to engage on this topic in our virtual session.

We encourage those who are interested in participating to register for tomorrow’s final Sexual and Reproductive Justice: Respectful Care at Birth Training virtual session here:

• Tuesday, April 16, 3pm–5pm (Register Here )

For more information on Black Maternal Health Week, please visit Black Mamas Matter.

About the Author

Caroline Mundela is a Sr. Project Manager at Healthfirst and oversees the maternity program under Healthfirst Cares which was designed to support healthier mothers and babies via clinical and social care coordination.