Closing out Black Maternal Health Week
The past week highlighted the large disparities that Black women face in maternal health. Nationally, Black women are three times more likely to die during childbirth than their white counterparts. In Louisiana, the rate is even higher, as Black women in our state are four times more likely than their white counterparts to die during childbirth. In fact, the rate of death for Black mothers in Louisiana is comparable to that of North Korea. Our sisters are dying and we must do better, not only for Black women during childbirth but during pregnancy and postpartum.
We consistently face barriers while attempting to access quality healthcare. We are plagued by our past bad experiences and worried we will not be given adequate and quality care that fits our needs.
Under my administration, we have been hard at work creating programs to address the underlying problems associated with high Black maternal complications and deaths. Black women are consistently face a lack of access to quality healthcare. We have instituted two programs that are vital to giving Black women the ability to access to care they need.
In the first year of this program, we have provided over 4,000 homeless, uninsured, and underinsured patients approximately 10,000 healthcare visits. This enables individuals to access the care they need without high financial costs. Another way we have been able to provide access to the care moms need is through the Healthy Start program. Healthy Start helps new parents learn about how to raise a healthy baby and helps them access resources including:
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Food Stamps
- Housing aid
- Job training
- Support groups for moms and dads
So far, over 1,000 families have been enrolled in this program. If someone you know is a new or expecting parent, tell them about Healthy Start today!
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These are only a few programs that are working to make a difference by decreasing the unacceptably high Black maternal mortality rate in our city, state, and country.
To echo the words of Serena Williams, "Let me be clear: every mother, regardless of race or background deserves to have a healthy pregnancy and childbirth." That's a guiding principle of my administration and we will continue to work tirelessly to uphold it.
- Mayor LaToya Cantrell
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