This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Black Maternal Health Week Campaign. In 2018, Congresswoman Alma Adams introduced the first Congressional resolution recognizing Black Maternal Health Week with then-Senator Kamala Harris^[1]. On April 13, 2021 President Joe Biden signed a proclamation which established Black Maternal Health Week to highlight the racial disparities in maternal mortality rates in the United States. This year, Black Maternal Health Week is taking place April 11 - 17^[2]. The week which was founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance is an initiative that aims to deepen the conversation around Black maternal health in the US.

Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than their white counterparts and infant mortality is nearly two times as high in Black communities.^[3] The most recent preterm birth statistics show that the rate of preterm birth among Black women is about 50% higher than the rate of preterm birth among white women.^[4]

1) https://bit.ly/3vieMXr 2) https://bit.ly/3jz3qJg 3) https://bit.ly/38IzwQB 4) https://bit.ly/3jHRCUZ

Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn issued the following statement in recognition of Black Maternal Health Week:

"When you're pregnant it's the start of new beginnings, a celebratory time, but the health care system is failing Black families, leaving women to wonder if they will leave the hospital alive. Pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are skyrocketing, and Black women are more at risk than women of any other race. Infant mortality is also nearly twice as high for Black women. I know this loss firsthand, and the pain of losing a child is unimaginable. During this week of awareness we must take action to stop structural racism from claiming additional lives."

Tomorrow, April 14 from 2-4pm CAMBA presents "Changing Outcomes: Moving Black Maternal Health Forward" with special remarks by Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, Commissioner, New York State Department of Health, followed by a discussion with Dr. Mary Bassett, Commissioner, New York State Department of Health, Dr. Margaret-Mary Wilson, United Healthcare EVP and Chief Medical Officer, and Valerie Barton-Richardson, CAMBA Chief Administrative Officer. Panelists include Bruce McIntyre III, Founder Save-A-Rose Foundation, Tia Dowling, Postpartum Doula at Metoodoula Services, Dr. Christina Pardo, MD MPH, Director, Division of Health Equity, SUNY Downstate and moderator Damalia Jackson, CAMBA Director of Maternal & Infant Health Services.

Register here: https://camba.swoogo.com/kings

Last weekend at the NYS Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislators, Inc. 51st Annual Conference Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn hosted a workshop in partnership with The New York Social Action Delegation of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and 32BJ titled "Black Maternal Health in Context: A Macro Perspective," with guest speaker U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, moderator Esther Debbie Louis, and panelist Dr. Lesley Kernisant from Morris Heights Health Center at OneBrooklyn, Dr. Simone Lomax from New York Presbyterian Health System, Candis Tall from 32BJ SEIU, and full spectrum doula Allegra White

View here for a resource guide that was shared at the workshop.

Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn represents the 42nd Assembly District in the New York State Assembly representing the Brooklyn communities of Ditmas Park, Flatbush, East Flatbush and Midwood. She is currently the Chair of the Task Force on Women's Issues and Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), and serves on the following committees: Housing, Government Operations, Economic Development, Banks, Health, and Higher Education. She is also a member of the Task Force on Women's Issues and sits on Governor Hochul's Domestic Violence Advisory Council and Mayor Adams MWBE Task Force.

As a current Assemblymember and District Leader, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn has been an outspoken advocate on issues concerning immigration, education, economic development, unemployment, education reform, health care access, senior citizen centers, affordable housing, school safety, women's and LGBTQ rights, as well as other issues affecting the quality of life in the community.