31 New Deaths and 1,436 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is strongly encouraging COVID-19 vaccination for all women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future to prevent severe illness, death and adverse pregnancy outcomes from COVID-19. 

While studies have affirmed the vaccines’ safety in all stages of pregnancy and the vaccines do not cause any fertility problems, the CDC reports as of September 18, only 31% of pregnant women are fully vaccinated nationwide. 

Healthcare providers should communicate the risk of COVID-19, the benefits of vaccination, information on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy, and strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible.

On behalf of the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH), the Department of Health Services, First 5 LA, and the Center for Strategic Partnerships, we are excited to announce the launch of the second round of funding for the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative Village Fund (The Village Fund). 

AAIMM Village Fund grantee, Parenting for Liberation (P4L) is an organization that supports Black parents in their efforts to heal from historical and ongoing trauma while interrupting intergenerational violence. Its broad definition of “parent” enables it to have a larger scope of influence in building resilient and joyful Black families within the community it serves. Launched in 2016 as a virtual platform to connect, inspire, and uplift Black parents as they navigate and negotiate raising Black children within the social and political context of the United States, P4L has grown into an anti-violence movement for Black parents. To date, P4L  has reached more than 20,000 people through audio podcasts and engaged nearly 30,000 individuals through social media, a self-published storybook workbook, blog posts, and opinion pieces, and recently released its inaugural book written by founder and executive director, Trina Greene Brown: Parenting for Liberation: A Guide for Raising Black Children (Feminist Press, 2020).

California has among the lowest death rates nationally among pregnant women and new mothers, but the numbers for Black mothers tell a different story.

They were six times more likely to die within a year of pregnancy than white women from 2014 to 2016 and had a higher rate of death than Black women nationally from 2014 to 2017, the most recent time frame for which data is available.

A bill before Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom aims to change that. Nicknamed the “Momnibus” bill, it would collect more details about pregnancy-related deaths, diversify the experts looking at that data and require them to recommend ways to reduce racial gaps. It also would expand access to doulas and midwives, whose presence can drive better care. . .

A joyful rallying cry of supporting, protecting, and welcoming Black Breast/Chestfeeding was heard throughout South Los Angeles on Saturday, August 28, as members and friends of the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative took to the streets for Soul Food For Your Baby’s 2nd annual Black Breastfeeding Matters Walk. The walk was one of several events that took place during the AAIMM Prevention Initiative’s Black Breast/Chestfeeding Week campaign (August 25-31) which was co-sponsored by the South Los Angeles/South Bay AAIMM Community Action Team (Family-Centered Models of Care Workgroup), First 5 LA and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Event sponsors also included Black Women for Wellness and the Mu Chi Chapter Chi Eta Phi. 

A new report from the California Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (CA-PMSS) project was recently released, providing information on California’s pregnancy-related deaths (including those up to one year after the end of pregnancy) occurring from 2008 through 2016. This is the first report from CA-PMSS—a project of the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Division of the California Department of Public Health which began in 2018. The Pregnancy-Related Mortality Ratio (PRMR) generated from CA-PMSS is becoming widely adopted as a more accurate measure of maternal deaths than the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR).

According to the March of Dimes, during 2017-2019 in the United States, preterm birth rates were highest for Black infants (14.0%) on average compared to babies of other races. In the state of California, the rate of premature births for Black infants is 12% and the preterm birth rate among Black women/birthing persons is 43% higher than the rate among all other women. The African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative is working to bring about equitable birthing outcomes for all babies and, therefore, holds this effort to help preemies thrive close to our mission. 

Workshop aimed at destigmatizing Black mental health planned in Pasadena

By Annakai Geshlider

https://www-pasadenastarnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.pasadenastarnews.com/2021/08/19/workshop-aimed-at-destigmatizing-black-mental-health-planned-in-pasadena/amp/A workshop planned for Saturday in Pasadena aims to destigmatize mental health in African American/Black communities.

The workshop on Black mental and physical health will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, both in-person and via livestream.

Called “Mental and Physical Health, Wellness and Stigma in the Black Community,” the event is free, and those wanting to attend in person will receive the workshop location after registering online.

Alameda County program counters health industry racism experienced by Black expectant mothers

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett

Krista Hayes, 32, of Oakland was delighted when she found out she and her husband were pregnant with their first child together. But she was also scared.

She’d seen statistics showing that, as a Black woman in America, she was far more likely to die in childbirth, suffer labor complications or have a preterm baby than other women. She feared entrusting the momentous process of having a baby to a medical system that she felt had often treated her, her family members, and other Black people she knew with indifference and contempt.

“There has always been bias. Whether you talk about it or not, you feel it,” said Hayes. “As a Black person you move differently and you’re treated differently.”

California Releases Inaugural Maternal Mortality Surveillance Report