Christina Hoag | Freelance Writer

March 28, 2023

With Antelope Valley sprawling over northern Los Angeles County’s vast desert region, social services can be spread out and hard to access. But come this April, Black moms and birthing parents will have a one-stop shop for health and wellness at the new Antelope Valley Maternity Home in Lancaster. 

To reduce poor birth outcomes in the area’s Black population and ensure birth is a safe, healthy and joyous experience, the Antelope Valley Maternity Home will provide wraparound services to Black expecting and new parents in the region. According to L.A. County’s Department of Public Health, Antelope Valley has one of the county’s highest Black infant and maternal mortality rates. And across the United States, Black mothers and newborns fare worst of all racial groups when it comes to birthing outcomes.  

In a 2022 study, the National Bureau of Economic Research examined approximately 2 million birth records in California to better understand economic inequality in infant and maternal health. What researchers found was that racial disparities in infant and maternal mortality rates were linked to structural racism, not socioeconomic status. According to the study, maternal mortality rates among low-income white women were lower, at 350 per 1,000 live births, than that of high-income Black women, at 457 per 1,000 live births. Babies born to Black mothers were more likely to be premature or underweight. 

These facts illustrate how race significantly affects the quality of care and intervention and underscores the need for centers like the Antelope Valley Maternity Home that are tailored to supporting Black birthing people as a critical component of reducing this disparity. 

“This is really groundbreaking,” said TaVia Wooley-Iles, executive director of the EmpowerTHEM Collective, a health advocacy nonprofit and a key force behind the center. “The African American community here is small, but we are sending a loud message that the community is supported in the Antelope Valley.” 

After years of planning, the project launched last September under the leadership of Charles Drew University’s Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence in partnership with the Antelope Valley Community Action Team of the Los Angeles County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM). Dedicated to addressing the disproportionately high rates of Black infant and maternal deaths and ensuring healthy and joyous births for Black families in L.A. County, AAIMM is led by the L.A. Department of Public Health in partnership with First 5 LA. Other members include L.A. County’s Departments of Health Services and of Mental Health, community organizations, mental and health care providers, funders, and community members.  

“This is really groundbreaking. The African American community here is small, but we are sending a loud message that the community is supported in the Antelope Valley.” – TaVia Wooley-Iles, executive director of the EmpowerTHEM Collective

By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer

September 17, 2024

How fostering connections in one of L.A.’s largest regions can help in the fight against Black infant and maternal mortality.

We got this. We got this. Whitney Shirley repeated the phrase over and over, like a mantra. Even as her contractions intensified, she managed to rise from her seat and make it to the podium. As the keynote presenter at the San Fernando & Santa Clarita Valleys Community Action Team (SFSCV CAT) year-end gathering, she had come prepared with information that she knew the audience of Black moms would find useful.

But Shirley doesn’t remember much of what happened next.

“I blacked out for the entire speech,” she confesses ruefully. “I was in so much pain, I don’t remember a thing.”

The contractions had gotten worse as Shirley, then nine months pregnant, continued her presentation. When she suddenly stopped mid-speech, the CAT planning team knew something was wrong. After quickly calling for a break, they ushered her aside and asked if she wanted to stop her presentation. Her answer came quickly.

“No,” Shirley said. “There’s one more point I need to talk about on mama authority. Just put me back on for 10 more minutes.”