FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a proclamation declaring April 11 through April 17 as Black Maternal Health Week in Michigan to honor the prenatal through postpartum experiences of Black mothers.
A mid-Michigan healthcare facility held an event to highlight disparities in the system.
The maternal healthcare disparity is a nationwide crisis heavily impacting Black mothers, and for many, it’s a matter of life or death.
“We don’t always get the proper care that we deserve,” said Denae Horton, the mother of an 8-week-old baby girl.
She knows firsthand the disparities mothers face throughout pregnancy, which is why she is grateful for places like Revive Community Health Center and the Revive Village that rallied around her during her pregnancy.
“Just helps you to, you know, get the support and the services that you need and deserve while you’re carrying. And then, just having the doulas available for you to talk about your pregnancy or walk alongside you during the labor room is amazing,” Horton said.
There were 443 maternal deaths in Michigan from 2015 to 2019 according to a report by the Michigan Maternal Mortality Surveillance Program. The report showed that Black women were nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white peers.
Catrina Tillman is the CEO of Revive Community Health Center in Flint.
“This particular issue is nothing new to our community,” Tillman said. “This is an issue that stems back to slavery. And unfortunately, we are still here in this place. However, there are so much amazing things that are going on locally.”
On Thursday, April 11, the center — along with the Biden-Harris Administration — hosted an event to highlight Black Maternal Health Week.
The Biden-Harris Administration developed the blueprint for addressing the maternal health crisis: a plan to improve maternal health outcomes and better the overall experience during and after pregnancy.
“As a healthcare provider, we understand that we have a role in this too, whether it be implicit bias, structural racism within the healthcare system. So, we have to challenge ourselves and our colleagues to make this a better environment for our Black mothers,” said Omari Young, an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) at Hurley Medical Center.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without Revive, seriously,” Horton said.
The Biden-Harris Administration is calling on Congress to improve and expand coverage by closing the Medicaid coverage gap and requiring continuous Medicaid coverage for 12 months postpartum.
In her 2020 State of the State address, Whitmer proposed the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative, which aims to reduce the disproportionate racial impacts of maternal and infant mortality. The governor has since signed multiple budgets funding the program to ensure moms have the support they need for healthy pregnancies, deliveries, and postpartum care.
Subscribe to the TV5 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every day.
Copyright 2024 WNEM. All rights reserved.