Trenton needs direction for Black mothers, awareness and advocacy (L.A. PARKER COLUMN) – Trentonian

Mayor Reed Gusciora and health director Adela Ames-Lopez speak at a news conference Monday kicking off Trenton’s homebound vaccination efforts.

A column in February noted these circumstances regarding the City of Trenton health director crisis.

Appeals have been disregarded for Trenton City Council members to require Mayor (Reed) Gusciora to present an adequate replacement for former Health and Human Services Director Adela Ames-Lopez. Since her termination in late December, Recreation, Natural Resources and Culture Director Maria Richardson heads the Health Department.

With critical issues and initiatives in place, especially those that champion health equity, First Lady (Tammy) Murphy and Commissioner (Judy) Persichilli should employ their influence to fast forward Gusciora’s selection for an appropriate health director.

So, what efforts did Trenton initiate for National Black Maternal Week (April 11-17), certainly a topic for the city’s health department? None. As Richardson prepares for summer programs that engage youth and communities city-wide, we know she lacks both time and credentials to hold the critical position of health director.

In a healthy city, Black Maternal Health Week would include action on myriad initiatives that support Black mothers, babies and their partners. A city effort on this crucial matter should dovetail with other health care agencies such as Henry J. Austin Health Center which pledges to provide a safe healthcare space for moms of color, not just during Black Maternal Health Week but at all times.

Love the mindset that health care requires a consistent round the clock effort to cultivate significant positive change. So, when Mayor Gusciora told The Trentonian “no time frame” existed to replace Richardson as acting director for the city health department, healthcare providers across the city should have spoken publicly or privately about such an arrogant response and myopic view that impacts their organizations.

Instead, city and Mercer County medical care providers play politics with health, claiming advocacy for myriad efforts but fearful to underscore that their outreaches and goals enhance with a qualified city health director, especially in a post-COVID-19 world. This inaction continues a historical misstep of healthcare providers who fail to advocate for minority women, who fail to hear them, and to act responsibly on their behalf.

And, with six women seated as city council members, one might have expected action, voice, proclamation, something to shine light on this Black maternity matter and the health department leadership issue.

By the way, while major support exists here for Greater Mount Zion AME maternal health center now under development in Trenton, a build that should improve birth outcomes and reduce significant racial disparities in maternal- and child-mortality rates, let’s understand the challenges awaiting many babies who take their first breath of poverty. Birthing poor, in many cases, delivers a gauntlet of challenges including education, food security, inadequate childcare, inadequate housing, violence, and many other heavy lifts.

Since our discussions engage childbirth, let’s add a talk about not having babies as teens and without starting a deep-dive debate on systemic racism, a need exists for a talk about the fact that 72-percent of Black babies birth to single mothers. Of course, slavery initiated separations and disintegration of family while a justice system wrongfully imprisoned many fathers. Still, Blacks have a power to alter our condition if we choose to unite and speak out against politicians and organization heads that dismiss the condition of Black and Brown folk, Latinos and other disenfranchised citizens.

Let’s make this a learning experience. Here’s some facts about Black maternal health. 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. Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias. Social determinants of health prevent many people from racial and ethnic minority groups from having fair opportunities for economic, physical, and emotional health.

• High blood pressure and cardiovascular disease are two of the leading causes of maternal death. African-Americans are at an increased risk for these conditions, which have a dangerous effect on pregnancy. Black women often develop preeclampsia (a dangerous rise in high blood pressure in pregnant women) and therefore have a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease later in life.

The National Partnerships for Women and their families: Only 87 percent of Black women of reproductive age have health insurance, and many more experience gaps in coverage during their lives. To improve Black women’s health outcomes, policies should focus on expanding and maintaining access to care and coverage.

While Trenton missed an opportunity to cultivate awareness during Black Maternal Health Week, it’s never too late to start conversations about this critical issue.

L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian.com.