MOULTRIE, Ga. (WALB) – A local non-profit is trying to address the black maternal healthcare crisis in Georgia.
“Young ladies, they go to the doctor’s appointments when they are pregnant, but are they telling the doctors what’s going on with them on the inside? Are they feeling any cramps or are they just going to the doctor and telling the doctor ‘Oh, I feel like okay’ and being brushed away,” Laquita Smith Bridges, owner and operator of Bridges Solutions and Consulting, said.
Statistics show that a black woman birthing in Georgia is twice as likely to die from pregnancy than a white woman. Although recent state laws have addressed the issue, some of the most important work is being done at the grassroots level.
One risk factor for all moms, especially those of color, is preeclampsia. Knowing your body and coming to the doctor immediately can help prevent any injuries.
“What is Preeclampsia, it’s high blood pressure that meets a certain criterion to be preeclampsia,” Ginger Bennett, a midwife, said.
EPIC is a non-profit group here in Moultrie that leaves attendees with one message. Panelists from today’s event want moms to make sure that they are asking questions and taking their doctor appointments seriously.
“We want to address this tragedy; we want to encourage and support new and expecting mothers in hopes of disbanding this route cause and the historical and equity that runs deep in Colquitt County,” Carol Simpson, founder & president of Eyvone’s Porch In-Centive, Inc. EPIC, said.
The goal of the organization is to encourage and uplift new moms but also to not ignore the signs of your maternal health.
To learn more about the group, click here.
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