Disparity in African-American Infant Deaths
Doula programs that serve high-risk women can be a helpful intervention to address disparities in birth outcomes.
“Any state you look at, you see the same disparities, and race is the strongest predictor of disparities,” says Dr. Deborah Ehrenthal, of Christiana Care Health System in Delaware. “So we see higher rates of infant mortality, higher rates of preterm delivery.” Black women are about 60 percent more likely than white women to deliver babies early and black infants are about 230 percent more likely than white infants to die before their first birthdays. Read the article.
A program that’s showing signs of progress in reducing low birth weight and infant deaths among African-Americans is getting a major vote of confidence. The W. K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded a $4.5 million grant to a program in Grand Rapids called Strong Beginnings.
The Doula Programs blog provides a forum for doula program visionaries and implementers to consider common challenges, ask questions, and learn from each other. Patty Brennan is the author of The Doula Business Guide: Creating a Successful MotherBaby Business.
