April 25, 2023 — Across New York State and the U.S., Black women are significantly more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death, and maternal mortality rates continue to rise. In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.6 times the rate for white women (CDC National Center for Health Statistics). Live via Zoom webinar, the NYU McSilver Institute partnered with the Greater New York Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, and One Brooklyn Health to host a virtual community forum in recognition of Minority Mental Health Month.
Video Recording
The community forum featured experts in the fields of maternal physical and mental health to provide vital information on the scope of this health disparity, contributing factors, and best practices. Panelists also discussed what families, service providers, and the community can do to advocate for change, as well as taking audience questions.
Attorney, TV host, and author Eboni K. Williams moderated this conversation with Dr. Torian Easterling, SVP, Population and Community Health and Chief Strategic and Innovation Officer at One Brooklyn Health; Dr. Kortney James, Postdoctoral Fellow and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, National Clinician Scholars Program at UCLA; Dr. Cyrus McCalla, Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at One Brooklyn Health; Roxanne Munroe, Program Director, Healthy Families Brookdale at One Brooklyn Health; and Chanel Porchia-Albert, Founder and Chief Executive Director, Ancient Song Doula Services. NYU McSilver Executive Director Rose Pierre-Louis gave introductory remarks at the start of the program.
Additional Resources
What additional actions can those committed to ending the Black maternal health crisis in New York and beyond take?
To continue this conversation the McSilver Institute and event partners have assembled resources relating to Black maternal health, perinatal support, and advocacy. This document includes links to community organizations, recent news coverage, proposed legislation, and more:
Community Co-Sponsors
We are grateful to the impactful organizations that helped connect their communities with this resource, including Black Policy Lab, Pink Cornrows, the H.O.P.E Center, the New York Urban League, NYU Meyers College of Nursing, the North Manhattan Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc and other participating chapters, Delta Sigma Theta’s New York Metropolitan Coordinating Council, the Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and the Delta Alpha Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.