Bronx borough president calls for birthing center to address maternal health crisis
Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson held a rally Monday in the Norwood section to call for a birthing center to be placed in the borough.
Gibson said the center is severely needed to help combat what is described as a maternal health crisis known to affect pregnant Black and Latina women.
"We have the graphs, we have the data, we have the statistics, and we know that Black women are 9.2 times more likely to die during childbirth because of pregnancy-related complications," Gibson said.
Gibson said the birthing center would provide better access and resources for prenatal care for women.
During the rally, Gibson and other speakers spoke of how the center would include midwives, doulas, physicians and more who would be dedicated to acknowledging the cultural, emotional and medical needs of women.
New report touts the benefits of a birthing center
According to the report released from the borough president's office, birthing centers provide health care to women at a smaller cost than hospitals.
Attending the rally as a father, Bruce Mclntyre III spoke about losing his partner due to complications in 2020.
"It took a midwife to, to look over her records to tell us that she was dying versus, you know, the multiple physicians that were signing off on her paperwork while she was dying. They were acting like everything was okay, which ultimately led to my partner's death during delivery," McIntyre said.
The report also states Bronx women have a higher severe maternal morbidity rate than women in the other four boroughs.
McIntyre said he hopes funding for a Bronx birthing center will happen, and wished it served as a resource in the community when he and his partner were expecting their son.
"A birthing center was definitely needed. I know that if we had a birthing center available to us, I feel like she would still be here for sure," he said.
You can read the borough president's office's full report by clicking here.
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