This week is Black Maternal Health Week, highlighting the disparities in health outcomes for pregnant Black women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. And in New Jersey, a Black baby is over three times more likely than a white baby to die before his or her first birthday.
In Newark, the new South Ward Wellness Center will have a specific focus on expectant mothers. “We find a lot of people in the community don’t get maternal services early in their pregnancy,” said Nicole Fields, CEO of Saint James Health. One program at the new center will support families from prenatal to the child’s third year.
