Community advocates are raising awareness as part of Black Maternal Health Week to lower the mortality rate of Black mothers.
Black mothers are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white mothers.
Kamilah Davis-Wilson is the Project Senior Manager for the Program on Women’s Healthcare Effectiveness Research at Michigan Medicine. She says 44% of pregnancy-related deaths among Black mothers in Washtenaw County are considered preventable. She says limited access to care is a major factor behind the disparity.
“Much of this is about the care that women are receiving. And that is why a lot of the work that I am doing, and I’m doing with my colleagues and many community partners, is to increase the quality of care that women are receiving.”
Davis-Wilson says improving outreach and reducing barriers to care are key to improving Black maternal health locally. She is hosting the Black Maternal Health Cafe on April 11th at Ypsilanti Community High School starting at noon.
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