Maternal, infant mortality conference aims to tackle disparities in southeastern Pa.
BLUE BELL, Pa. - The important conversations around improving maternal mortality rates and infant mortality rates are continuing to grow.
Those working on that very cause gathered Tuesday in Montgomery County to discuss the best ways to reduce disparities, specifically in Southeastern Pennsylvania, for a "Mother’s Alive" conference in Blue Bell.
"Our thought is that if one group of mothers can have good outcomes, all groups of mothers should be able to have good outcomes," says Janet Panning, Supervisor for Maternal Child Health with the Montgomery County Office of Public Health.
Improving maternal mortality rates is goal as health officials, city leaders seek solutions
Philadelphia city leaders met with health professionals and community advocates in a public hearing to talk about ways to improve maternal mortality rates.
Panning says a 2018 study found that Black infants are twice as likely to die as white infants in Montgomery County, and it’s often happening in the pre-term period due to low birth weights. In Philadelphia, officials say Black women represent more than 70 percent of maternal deaths.
Among the major challenges - access.
"If you have no insurance, that’s certainly a factor. If you have no transportation, that impedes your access. If you have no time off for work, you can’t take time for your own care," says Panning.
Another big focus on Tuesday was policy change. Pennsylvania, unlike its many neighboring states, does not have a universal paid family leave program.
"We have great data on how it can improve birth outcomes. We have great data on how it’s good for business," says Sara Jann Heinze, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, Maternity Care Coalition. "It’s a really common-sense policy solution that Pennsylvania really needs to improve birth outcomes."
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Dr. Aasta Mehta, Medical Officer of Reproductive Health with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, feels the issue should be looked at from a justice perspective.
"Often times people think about prevention and they think that something was a mistake or someone missed something," she says. "Really we’re looking at preventability from a systems perspective, and what could we change?"
Jamiylah Miller, program manager of Montco Mamas, hopes the conference is the first of many gatherings to spark new partnerships.
She also co-leads the doula and lactation program with the Maternity Care Coalition, which is a need she says she hears about most from new and expecting moms.
"There’s really a lot of concern about wanting to be successful with breastfeeding their child, bonding with their baby and just different ways to do that," she says. "My goal for this space is identify where we overlap and come together."