Stress from racism and racial discrimination, contribute to the unacceptable health outcomes among Black birthing people and their infants. Medical racism and interpersonal discrimination historically have impacted Black health and continue to impact Black birthing people today.
It’s time to make the shift happen by enacting our collective efforts for greater community impact and change. Join us as we advocate for change during Black Maternal Mental Health Week. #theconversationcontinues #BMMHW2024 #BMMHW24
Why are we promote this BMMHW? Recent Data States:
20 percent of women display symptoms of perinatal mood or anxiety disorder. The figure climbs to 44 percent for black women compared to white women.
Black moms contend with unique challenges from the racial disparities amplified by COVID, including lack of high-quality medical care, increased stress and exposure to racial trauma, and higher risk of childbirth complications.
From dismissed medical needs to birthing complications, Black women are more likely to experience traumatic births and the mental health consequences that follow.
Cultural barriers and a lack of representation in the mental health field continue to limit Black women from seeking help - according to American Psychological Association, only 5.3% of psychology professionals are Black. Of the estimated 41,000 psychiatrists in the U.S., only 2% are black according to the American Psychiatric Association - despite making up 13% of the U.S. population.
The mission of Urban Perinatal Education is to create a space for perinatal equity in RI through three lenses: culturally congruent care and community, supporting equity in care, and building a workforce for change. Our focus is to create a safe space of perinatal care for those adversely affected by intentional, long-standing, systematic, and institutional adverse perinatal health outcomes among the Black and the BIPOC community. Our mission and work aims to create a space of restorative healing and learning as we are deliberate in our mission to promote health equity and promotion.
We hope that you will join us to: promote mental health awareness, address gaps in care access, identify provider needs and barriers, innovate design and ideas, and build a stronger safety net for families to get the help they need and deserve. This summit addresses how pervasive racial bias and unequal treatment of Black women and birthing people in the health care system often result in inadequate treatment for their concerns and leads to significant unintended outcomes and disparities. This, coupled with
Together we can create perinatal equitable solutions for better mental health care for families.
