Improving maternal mortality rates is goal as health officials, city leaders seek solutions

CENTER CITY - Philadelphia city leaders met with health professionals and community advocates in a public hearing to talk about ways to improve maternal mortality rates.

City leaders say Philadelphia makes up 20 percent of all maternal deaths in Pennsylvania, despite only accounting for 12 percent of the population.

Council member Nina Ahmed is the chair of the Committee on Public Health and Human Services that held the hearing. "This is a major problem for our nation, not just Philadelphia."

Black women represent more than 70 percent of maternal deaths, but only make up about 40 percent of the birthing population, officials say.

Dr. Stacy Kallem says the Department of Public Health launched the Community Support Doula Program and their hope is to expand access to doulas for all women in West and Southwest Philly. "This is a doula program focused specifically on those families who have a substance use disorder, where we provide doula support during pregnancy and for an entire year post-partum, knowing many of the drug overdoses happen in that later portion in the post-partum period."

Lonnese Bodison, of the Maternity Care Coalition, says racial inequities do exist and, at times, women experience an implicit bias during care.

"Listening to people and their bodies. We know about our bodies," Bodison stated. "Wanting people to be heard when they show up and present with problems, especially during the pregnancy and post-partum periods."

State Representative Morgan Cephas is a Chair member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and championing maternal health programs, such as Penn Medicine’s Heart Safe Motherhood, that will move the needle locally and statewide.

"Heart Safe Motherhood program innovation comes out of the University of Pennsylvania that connects each patient to blood pressure cuff but also connects back to the hospital with telemedicine technology," Cephas explained.

Councilmember Ahmed says it’s still in the very early stages, but she hopes to create legislation that will have an impact. "It will have something to do with resources. It’ll have something to do with an educational campaign, it’ll have something to do working with our grassroots organizations who reach the people who need it the most."