Black Maternal Health summit calls for change in Pennsylvania
State and local officials are shedding light on the health of Black mothers in hopes of driving real change.
The first statewide Black Maternal Health Week Summit is underway in Pittsburgh. State Rep. Latasha D. Mayes and the Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus are hosting the three-day summit with numerous events.
Mothers, fathers, birth workers, doctors, advocates, leaders and legislators are coming together in the Steel City to highlight the need for action.
"Taking action to boldly address the disturbing trends of Black maternal mortality and morbidity across our Commonwealth," said State Rep. Mayes, co-chair of the Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus.
Rep. Mayes and the Black Maternal Health Caucus are hosting the summit.
On day two, they held a press conference outside the City-County Building with local leaders and advocates. Mayes announced they're getting ready to introduce the "momnibus" legislative package, which will include bills to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality.
"We are driven by the statistic that 93.5% of maternal deaths in our Commonwealth are preventable. So, the question is this week and over the past 18 months since we started our caucus, why are we not preventing these maternal deaths?" said Rep. Mayes.
At another event on Tuesday, experts testified at a policy hearing about how many parts of the state are maternity care deserts.
"In Pennsylvania, 12.4% of women had no birthing facilities within 30 minutes of their homes," said Annetra Taylor, a midwife at The Midwife Center.
People also testified about the need for more access to midwives and doulas, especially for people of color and Black women.
"Black Americans are three times more likely to die before, during or after birth compared to women of other races. And Allegheny County, our county, ranks among the worst in the country in terms of outcomes in the first year of life for both Black moms and babies," Taylor said.
"These inequities demand interventions that can go towards ensuring equal access to quality care for all. We cannot have equal access without midwifery training, without midwives, who are part of the solution," said Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew with Allegheny Health Network.
The call to action didn't end there. There was also a listening session with a panel of state secretaries — including health, insurance, Department of Corrections, and Human Relations Commission. They discussed how they work together to help improve health outcomes for all.
"They're working together to address this issue and really serve Black moms, all moms, but black moms as well considering the maternal health disparities that are impacting so many black moms and birthing people in the commonwealth," said Rep. Mayes.
In Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed budget for the next year, his administration is looking to continue a multi-year investment by providing $5 million toward maternal health initiatives across the commonwealth.
