BY: HAILEY COGNETTI
State and city lawmakers, health practitioners, and advocates gathered at the McSilver Institute at NYU for an urgent legislative breakfast on New York’s Black maternal health crisis on Oct. 24.
The roundtable discussion, moderated by Eboni K. Williams – an attorney, author, and journalist – sought to address gaps in maternal health policy and identify preventable solutions with lawmakers and advocates.
New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousin shared a personal experience that underscored the systemic issues contributing to Black maternal mortality rates.
Stewart-Cousins grandmother died giving birth to her mother. “My mom was born in 1917, and at that point it happened so often that people just tragically moved on without any discussion at all,” said Senator Stewart-Cousins. “It is amazing that we are in 2024 and still having conversations about women, certainly black women, who are at higher risk of maternal mortality than almost everyone else.”
Stewart-Cousins acknowledged the gravity of today’s Black maternal mortality statistics and emphasized the representation among lawmakers was crucial to enacting bills surrounding Black maternal health.
“The difference is all of us, the difference is the representation,” Senator Stewart-Cousins said.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams echoed the urgency of the moment. “The death has to stop. There are solutions out there. We are going to bring those solutions to the forefront and conquer death.”
The panel addressed the impacts of systemic racism on Black maternal health. Sideya Sherman, NYC’s Chief Equity Officer, described these disparities as “the legacies of centuries of medical racism embedded in our nation’s history.”
Practitioners also contributed to the conversation, bringing in data and patient centered perspectives. Dr. Cyrus McCalla, who spoke on the prevalence of maternal health disorders among Black women in NYC, revealed that more than 75% of these deaths are preventable, and “more than 50% of maternal deaths occur after seven days and that’s when most moms are out of the hospital,” Dr. McCalla said.
Dr. Dilice Robertson expanded on Dr. McCalla’s points, advocating for different maternal care approaches.
“What that means is partnering with our midwives, and physician colleagues aside mental health clinicians, and ensuring that access to care happens sooner,” Dr. Dilice Robertson said.
In an earlier interview, Dr. Deborah Kaplan, a former assistant Commissioner for the NYC Department of Health, and now a board member of the Aria Foundation, advocated for birthing centers and midwife-led care as alternatives to hospital births.
“We need midwives in charge of perinatal health with skilled doctors part of the team and midwives assessing when someone needs something beyond what they can provide,” Dr Kaplan said.
Nathifa Forde, director of NYC Her Future, delivered one of the panel’s most resonant messages, spotlighting the fundamental connection between maternal health and broader community wellness.
“We cannot talk about the lives of black boys, we cannot talk about the lives of black girls, until we talk about the wombs that are holding them,” Forde said.