- A group in Tallahassee is working to help close the gap in Black maternity health and help Black pregnant mothers-to-be.
- According to the CDC in 2021, the maternal death rate for Black women was nearly 70% per 100,000 live births in the U.S.
- Watch the video above to hear from neighbors in the community and health professionals.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"This is still an urgency that we must not put down."
That urgency that Trishay Young is referring to is the state of maternal health for black mothers. Young is CEO and Founder of Melanin Mothers Meet. It's a group in Tallahassee helping mothers during their pregnancy.
"Any mother should be able to have some type of resource for maternal advice or care."
I checked with the CDC. In the United States, the maternal death rate for Black women is nearly 70 deaths per 100,00 live births.
Numbers like these are why Young says she's stepping in to be that resource for neighbors. It starts with this 2024 Maternal Health Survey. the goal is getting 100 responses from the public to gather information to see what the community needs.
"The survey is a tool."
It's a tool that could connect mothers with doulas, midwives, doctors and more.
"When you're doing surveys, you are increasing awareness in the community. I think it's the right step in the right direction."
Doctor Tracy Daniels works at Bond Community Health Center. She says she's seen the gap in maternal health for black mothers and tells me what solutions could close that gap.
"We can find solutions. The most important solution is coming in when you get pregnant."
They are solutions that this group hopes their survey could help reveal.
"Everybody needs to be involved in maternal health… if they care about black people."
