ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — We’re in the middle of Black Maternal Health Week—a time dedicated to awareness about the inequities in healthcare and elevating access to resources. A Rochester community of birth advocates is working to do just that by shining a light on the giant gap for Black maternal care that can seem impossible to cross.
“Black women do get care, but it’s good care—it’s the same care, equitable care—that their counterparts would get,” says Josie McClary, a community doula and also the chief community engagement officer for Monroe County.
According to the CDC, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications. In Rochester, a recent study by researchers at URMC found nearly 13% of all premature births occurred in zip codes labeled “hazardous” by decades old policies that disenfranchised minority peoples–known as “redlining”.
Jasmine Brewer says she felt the pain of going without adequate care herself when she experienced a stillbirth.
“I didn’t know what to look for. I didn’t feel like I was heard, so I backed off from speaking up about it, right? And then I went home and experienced tragedy. I should’ve never been sent home,” Brewer explains to News 8’s Mikhaela Singleton.
To make sure no parent is left unheard in their healthcare, the Healthy Baby Network set up a community doula program to connect expecting parents with resources to learn and to advocate for themselves. Brewer, the doula program manager, says there are currently 32 doulas connected across the region.
“They are from the community of the participants they serve, so they bring a culturally sensitive — they address things in a culturally sensitive way,” she says.
“Being pregnant can be very stressful, and I think it’s important to really maintain mental health during pregnancy and having a support system. Unfortunately, there’s many women that don’t have that support system,” says McClary.
McClary and Brewer have worked together to gain county and city support to bring awareness to Black Maternal Health Week. Now, these local administrations, along with Fidelis Care, are joining the Healthy Baby Network in launching the first ever Black Maternal Health Week awareness walkathon.
Advocates invite the community to join them Saturday at Genesee Valley Park at 9:30 a.m. to find vendors, health providers and doulas to answer your questions, and all while getting your steps in with refreshments and fun activities.
“Letting the community know— moms, fathers, and children know—that we come together in good and bad. We come together, and we want to find solutions, so we are going to walk and we’re going to talk,” explains Brewer.
The preliminary list of participating vendors offering health, food, clothing, and other resources at the event are as follows:
- The Children’s Agenda
- Common Ground Health
- Caring Choices Pregnancy Help Center
- Trillium Health
- Foodlink
- RochesterWorks!
- Goodwill
- Head Start
- Margaret Home
- Healthy Baby Network
- Fidelis Care
- Eastman Dental
- Beta Chi Chi
- Bipoc Peek
- Rochester Black Nurses Association
- Monroe County
- WIC
- Jordan Health Center