By Mary Green
It’s Black Maternal Health Week, a moment where we pause again to assess where we are as a community in solving the health crisis Black moms face. Despite myriad technological and medical advancements, mortality rates for Black expectant mothers and premature birthrates for Black babies remain at an all-time high. According to the Center for Disease Control, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than their white colleagues.
“The disparity between Black and White mothers has been increasing instead of declining,” says Dr. Denise Christian, Chief Medical Officer for CINQCARE, a health and care company committed to serving Black and Brown communities. “This disparity is without regard to income or education, so this is a crisis that affects all Black women, with many of these maternal deaths being preventable.”
In Georgia, rural residents are at highest risk, says Dr. Christian. “35% of the counties in Georgia are maternal deserts, which means they do not have obstetricians practicing in those counties. These maternal deserts must be addressed with new strategies, such as mobile vans and telemedicine.”
High-risk pregnancies can have many causes, including those arising from the mother’s health. “The prevalence of chronic medical conditions in Black woman, including hypertension and diabetes, as well as mental health and social and environmental health-related challenges, contribute to poorer maternal health outcomes,” says Dr. Christian. Fragmentation among the providers of material care also affects outcomes for women. “You may have obstetrical providers, midwives, doulas, and community health workers, but they do not function as a cohesive care team.”
The CINQCARE CMO, who is designing CINQCARE for Moms, a suite of services and interventions that offers the optimal care for all moms and babies, especially Black moms and babies, says, “At CINQCARE, we are bringing together the components of health delivery and care to meet the medical, the behavioral, and the social needs of expectant mothers,” she says. “That includes the obstetrician, the community health worker, and/or doula who is in the field and doing in-home visits. We are aiming to deliver care coordination at its best, with evidence-based care that embraces the culture of the mother.”
In delivering care, one of CINQCARE principles for success it is hiring people from the communities it serves. In bringing CINQCARE for Moms to Georgia, we will hire – for community health workers, for doulas, for partners – locally. At CINQCARE, we know that hiring individuals who are part of the community increases our team’s understanding of the community, which helps build trust.”
“Our goals are simple yet critical: to reduce the mortality rate for Black women and to less the number of premature low birth weight babies (15% of Black babies are premature versus 10% nationally). When we address these twin objectives, we will eliminate the disparity for Black mothers and babies – and women and their babies will get to enjoy motherhood.”
About CINQCARE:
CINQCARE is committed to every day to delivering health and care to those who need care the most, with a deep commitment to Black and Brown communities. CINQCARE is passionate about empowering caregivers to deliver better health, care and well-being. CINQCARE is on a mission – community by community – to be the provider-led, comprehensive care partner of choice.. For more information, visit www.cinq.care.
“When I was 8 years old, my mother died from a preventable health-related cause. I created CINQCARE to deliver health and care where people live. To answer the call to make house calls and care for people where they live… That’s my calling.”
– Tony Welters, Founder and CEO of CINQCARE
Last updated on April 12, 2024
