Preparing for the birth of a new baby is a joyful time. But here’s some news that is far from joyful: More than 300,000 babies in the United States are born premature each year, and the statistics indicate a wide racial disparity. In Nassau County, the infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births is 9.4 for black babies versus 2.2 reported for white non-Hispanic babies. According to the New York State Department of Health, a black woman is up to four times more likely to die in childbirth than a white mother.
The three communities at highest risk are (in order) Roosevelt, Hempstead and Westbury/New Cassel.
“Babies—especially black babies—are dying way too soon,” says Dr. Nellie Taylor-Walthrust, Director of the Leeds Place, North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center’s Westbury location. “Many don’t see their first birthdays. I’ve gone to way too many funerals for babies who didn’t survive.”
Dr. Taylor-Walthrust said that the goal of the Guidance Center—in particular, its Good Beginnings for Babies program—is that every mother who comes through our doors gives birth to a healthy baby. The Good Beginnings for Babies program provides support, counseling, advocacy and education for pregnant and parenting teens.
In addition, the Guidance Center, in partnership with Hofstra University, created a program called Birth Justice Warriors, which focuses on improving the health of black mothers and their babies through education and advocacy efforts. Birth Justice Warriors are trained to educate the community, including women, pediatricians, nurses, elected officials and others, regarding the racial disparities in an effort to create real change. The ultimate goal is to pass legislation that guarantees that this crucial information is delivered to all women of child-bearing age.
At a recent Guidance Center event, Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Viviana Russell shared her personal story of having given birth to a premature daughter in 1995. Russell felt that her doctors were not listening to her concerns. Luckily, her daughter, who weighed only 1 pound and 12 ounces, survived and is now a mother herself, but the experience made Russell want to help others. “As women, we are nurturers,” Russell says, “but we need to learn that pre- and post-natal care is as important for us as for our babies.”
Dr. Martine Hackett from Hofstra University, a co-founder of Birth Justice Warriors, pointed out that maternal mortality rates are rising in the United States, whereas they are going down almost everywhere else in the world. She said that historical patterns of racism have affected black women even in today’s world. “While individual behaviors are important,” Hackett says, “we must also acknowledge discriminatory biases in the medical community and take steps to reverse them.”
“Our goal is to bring education and awareness to this issue of inequality, which has a multitude of contributing factors,” says Dr. Taylor-Walthrust. “We’re going to educate people at all levels, from women in the community to pediatricians, nurses, health care professionals, elected officials and those in faith-based institutions. Ultimately we want legislation to be written that guarantees that this crucial information is delivered to all women of child-bearing age.”
To find out more about the Birth Justice Warriors, contact Dr. Walthrust-Taylor at (516) 997-2926, ext. 229, or email NTaylorWalthrust@northshorechildguidance.org.
