Stephanie Spencer from Urban Baby Beginnings. (Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM)
About 700 women die from pregnancy-related complications each year according to the Centers for Disease Control. In Virginia, Black women are three times more likely to die during pregnancy than white women. Health experts and lawmakers are working to address the persistent racial disparities regarding maternal health.
As part of those efforts, the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts established a maternal health task force, seeking the help of health specialists from Urban Baby Beginnings and Birth in Color RVA to find solutions.
Recently, the task force launched a program that offers free prenatal and postnatal care to the commonwealth’s most vulnerable by connecting people with community doulas.