Westchester County has announced a new health initiative to address inequities in Black maternal and child health.
Nearly $1 million will be invested in the Lower Hudson Valley
Prenatal Network, St. John's Riverside Hospital and Birth from the Earth.
The Health
Department funds will be used to expand at-home programs for expecting Black
mothers, to put them in touch with health care services, and to provide
implicit bias training to maternity staff and medical students.
Westchester County
Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler says inequities in care are resulting in
shorter lifespans for Black people. “We hope to help Black mothers and infants make measurable
improvements to their health by assuring they have access to quality care
before, and after, birth.”
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely
to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.