National Black Maternal Health Week: Group works to improve maternal outcome for women of color

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Amid a national push to reduce black maternal mortality rates, local groups are trying to bring awareness to this issue for Black Maternal Health Week.

Several people showed up to the state capitol Sunday afternoon to honor the lives of black women, who may have passed away because of childbirth, or pregnancy-related issues.

The Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. put on the “Honor Her Life” event to shed some light on what so many people are going through.

“I have two kids. One child was born full-term and healthy. The other one was born 3 months early, for me, due to issues of high blood pressure,” said Frankie Robertson, a panelist for Honor Her Life event.

According to the Centers for Disease Control website, in 2021, the mortality rates for black women were significantly higher than rates for other races in America.

That is why these groups are coming together to provide programs like Project Cradle Care, designed to help these moms bring home healthy babies.

“We are committed to letting everyone know what’s going on so that we could get improvement in that area,” said Brenda Smith, an organizer for the Honor Her Life event.

Click here for more information about Project Cradle Care.

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