Maternal mortality is on the decline globally, but the United States remains an outlier among high-income countries with its persistently high maternal mortality rate. Pregnancy-related deaths—defined as occurring during pregnancy, childbirth, or up to 1 year of termination of pregnancy—have significant and broad negative public health and societal impacts. While that burden is amplified for women facing socioeconomic and racial inequities across the country, within New York City nearly 75 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, highlighting the urgency for change.
A symposium on Maternal Health in New York City: Improving Outcomes Across Populations was hosted by NYU GPH with a keynote from Dr. Zahirah McNatt, a deputy commissioner at NYC DOHMH, who highlighted critical disparities in pregnancy-related deaths and actionable steps for reducing maternal mortality. As a platform for thought leaders and community voices, the spotlight was on partnerships between health systems and public health professionals, who explored gaps in maternal care, strategies employed by their organizations and evidence-based interventions that can be scaled up.
A key question echoed throughout: We know what needs to be done, so how do we do it? The data are clear and the solutions exist, yet systemic barriers continue to prevent meaningful action. Recommendations included:
- Integrating maternal health care into a life-course approach to improve the health of women during their entire experience of childbirth, emphasizing postpartum care to prevent morbidity.
- Increasing access to maternal care across the city, especially for people in underserved areas.
- Strengthening connections between community organizations and health systems, programming for families in their communities, and increasing funds for maternal health initiatives.
Dr. Zahirah McNatt is the Chief Equity Officer and Deputy Commissioner for the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness at the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. She was introduced by the Interim Dean of GPH, Dr. Melody Goodman, who also directs its Center for Anti-racism, Social Justice, & Public Health. The event was co-hosted by CASJPH and GPH’s Global Center for Implementation Science.
Panelists included Dr. Wendy Wilcox, Chief Women’s Health Officer at New York City Health + Hospitals; Dr. Janice Ascencio, the Acting Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center; Dr. Leslie Hayes, Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Family and Child Health at the NYC DOHMH; Ms. Damalia Jackson, Program Director at CAMBA MIH Programs; Ms. Stacey Lewis, Coordinator of Doula Programs at the Caribbean Women’s Health Association; Ms. Patricia Loftman, Midwife and a member of the NYC Maternal Mortality Review Committee; Ms. Nataly Jasso Morales, Doula Coordinator at the Community Health Center of Richmond; Ms. Re Perry, Programs Coordinator at Saving Mothers; Ms. Tasha Phifer, Founder of Postpartum Love Village & Postpartum Doula.
