If you are a Black mother and live in Ohio, you are 2.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes than a white mother. Most of these deaths are preventable.
That's according to the latest data report from the Ohio Department of Health's Pregnancy-Related Mortality Review (PAMR) Committee, which investigates all deaths that occur during or within one year of pregnancy.
According to the report, 65 mothers died from pregnancy complications or causes in Cuyahoga County between 2008 and 2016. Most of the women who died in Cuyahoga County were black, had Medicaid insurance, and had less than a high school education. More than 57% of maternal deaths in Ohio were preventable, according to the report's experts.
With this in mind, the Northern Ohio Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) at Case Western Reserve University will host its first summit dedicated to Black maternal health equity in April. is.
The half-day summit brings together state and local officials, physicians, researchers, nonprofit health leaders, community groups, medical executives, and local residents to help shape research questions and develop evidence-based solutions. It is intended to.
CTSC was founded in 2007 and is a collaboration between Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth System, University Hospitals, Lewis Stokes Veterans Administration Medical Center, Northeast Ohio Medical University, and the University of Toledo.
Created to advance health equity through translational science, this collaboration aims to engage more minority communities in research and bring better treatments to all people in Northeast Ohio. said Gerry Thomas, director of research and health equity. The collaboration also provides funding for community-based health research and support to groups applying for research, including grant writing.
Thomas said the summit was intentionally scheduled during Black Maternal and Child Health Week (April 11-17) to raise awareness of the ongoing maternal mortality and morbidity crisis in the United States.
“There's been a lot of discussion over the last few years about women's health and health equity,” Thomas says. “Millions of dollars are now being poured into research on these topics and issues at the national level, moving people beyond conversation and into action.”
Last year, the collaboration launched the Health Equity Challenge, which invited medical experts, health advocates, and researchers to discuss the barriers and challenges impacting women's health and find ways to make it more inclusive. ' series has been launched. Thomas said the summit is an opportunity to understand and center women's experiences to inform research questions and studies.
“Research is often thought of as an ivory tower with precise questions and solutions,” Thomas says. “Our research goes further to understand who is affected and who is experiencing the problem, and to understand and develop solutions that can impact and improve health systems. ”
The summit will be held from noon to 4 p.m. April 14 in the Glasscock Ballroom, Cleveland State University's Student Center. Attendees will hear from award-winning historian and author Deirdre Cooper Owens about her research on Black maternal and child health. We heard from local mothers about their experiences with pregnancy and childbirth.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about policy updates and efforts to improve the health of women in Ohio. Participants will have the opportunity to share insights that will inform questions and solutions that will be considered by collaborators.
