Rochester caregivers unite for Black Maternal Health Week | Health Care

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As the United States recognized Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17, our Rochester community drew together to address longstanding inequities in care access and outcomes.

In Rochester and the Finger Lakes region, African Americans are 50% likelier than white residents to experience life-threatening complications related to childbirth, according to the research organization Common Ground Health. Black infants are three times as likely to die in their first year of life. Given this unacceptable disparity, the top goal of the Monroe County Joint Community Health Needs Assessment is to promote healthy women, infants, and children by reducing racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in maternal and child health outcomes.

Our community’s united will to achieve this goal was very much alive during the April 11 kickoff to Black Maternal Health Week. A lively group of obstetricians, gynecologists, midwives, doulas, and others gathered in problem-solving partnership during an event called “Empowering Communities: Collaborative Efforts to Improve Black Maternal Health.” Co-hosted by University of Rochester Medical Center and Rochester Regional Health, the event took place on Rochester Regional’s Riedman Campus.

Brimming with the joy of connecting, participants welcomed speakers, viewed simulated birthing scenarios, and exchanged knowledge and ideas.

They were there to make an important difference. Locally and nationwide, the higher rates of Black maternal mortality and morbidity relate to complex social determinants of health, including economic stability and environmental factors. These societal issues demand collaborative, community-wide policy and agency action. Healthcare organizations play a large role in addressing a key determinant: healthcare access and quality. What emerged from the April 11 event were some key takeaways on how to support Black maternal health in our community:

Frictionless access to care: This includes easy access to appointments, care locations close to home, and comprehensive services from prenatal education onward. At Rochester Regional Health, where I work, our services include virtual and in-person childbirth and breast feeding classes; Healthy Moms support programs; hospital-based birthing centers; home care; and much more.    

Interdisciplinary, collaborative care teams: Partnering with obstetricians and gynecologists in today’s care teams are midwives and doulas. Certified Nurse Midwives are medically trained, state-licensed Advanced Practice Providers who care for women during pregnancy, birth, and after delivery. Birth doulas are healthcare professionals who provide physical and emotional support through the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. (Expanding a pilot program, New York this year started covering doula services for all Medicaid recipients.)

Each member of the team plays a vital role in a positive birthing experience. For more information, see Health Hive: “How Doulas and Midwives Help with Childbirth and Beyond,” https://hive.rochesterregional.org/womens-health/pregnancy/doula-midwife-hospital

Close-up – Doula Phyllis Sharp in her own words: 

I was really motivated to become a Birth doula because I had five wonderful birth experiences and I wanted that for every birthing person. I wanted to be able to support birthing persons through their pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period. I also felt that education was important because there was so much I did not know about having a baby and about breastfeeding. I had a lot of family and they shared with me their birth experiences, but no one in my family was breastfeeding when I gave birth, so I was on my own. This is what inspired me to be certified as a lactation counselor.

In Monroe County, Black women are dying at three times the rate of our white counterparts. Doulas can make a difference even though we cannot solve this problem alone. In the work that I do when having Black birthing persons, I build a relationship with them and ensure that they go to their prenatal appointments, educating them on the birthing process, possible complications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I also empower them to not only advocate for themselves but also for their babies, while bridging the gap between providers and the birthing person to make for a better birth experience.

I love working alongside the local hospitals. At Rochester Regional Health, I have been a part of the doula training they have had over the last year. I have enjoyed it so much since I have a passion to train and build up other doulas in my community.

The most satisfying part of the work I do is seeing healthy moms and healthy babies, to see the smile on the parents’ faces and the tears in dads’ eyes. It’s just amazing. You can’t ask for anything better than that.

Phyllis Sharp, Certified Lactation Counselor, Certified Doula, owns Royalty Birth Services, LLC.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice: This relates to the care team as well as the patient. As one event participant pointed out, it can be alienating for a birthing mother to be surrounded by a care team in which nobody looks like her. Caregiver diversity is essential to creating an inclusive, welcoming, and safe environment of trust—as well as to fully tapping the expertise in our community.

Patient-centered, culturally appropriate care: One thing we practiced in our April 11 birthing simulations was how to keep the birthing mother informed and empowered even as unexpected complications arose. Is medical terminology being translated in an understandable way? Is the birthing mother participating in, and as much as possible, guiding treatment decisions? We review our attitudes and actions to make sure they remain centered on those receiving care.

Rochester has an urgent call to action to improve the health outcomes Black mothers, and all mothers impacted by ethnic and economic disparities. In heeding this call, we also have resounding strengths: extraordinary and diverse expertise, an attitude of true caring, and a provider community committed to united action.

Franziska Haydanek, DO, is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology at Rochester Regional Health.