Roundtable held on maternal care, mental health disparities in Allegheny County

THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. A GROUP CALLED HEALTHY START IS HOSTING A MENTAL HEALTH ROUNDTABLE THAT FOCUSES ON BLACK MOTHERS AND THEIR BABIES, AND THEY’RE HANDING OUT THIS BIRTH PLAN TO TRY TO CUT DOWN ON DISPARITIES IN CARE. SO WOMEN ARE FACING SEVERE CHALLENGES. WOMEN ARE TELLING US THAT THEY NEED CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CARE, THAT THEY NEED MORE COMPREHENSIVE CARE. THEY’RE TELLING US THAT SPECIFICALLY REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH, WHICH IS THE REASON WE’RE HERE TODAY, THAT THEY NEED BETTER CARE AND BETTER SUPPORTS ACROSS THE SYSTEMS OF CARE. YASMIN BENNETT KELLY IS THE BIRTH INITIATIVE DIRECTOR FOR HEALTHY START. SEVERAL SOURCES, INCLUDING THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE CDC, COLLECTED DATA FOR THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY BIRTH PLAN FOR BLACK BABIES AND FAMILIES, IT STATES. BLACK WOMEN IN PITTSBURGH DIE FROM PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH RELATED TO COMPLICATIONS AT A RATE HIGHER THAN 97% OF SIMILAR CITIES. BENNETT KELLY SAYS MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS IS ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF BLACK WOMEN DYING IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY. THAT’S WHY THERE WAS A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION BRINGING TOGETHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ADVOCATES AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO TALK ABOUT SOLUTIONS. THE EVENT WAS HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CENTER IN THE HILL DISTRICT. TAYLOR PINKSTON, WHO IS THE CLINICAL PRACTICE MANAGER AT HEALTHY START, SAYS SHE BECAME DEPRESSED WHILE CARRYING HER CHILD, BUT SHE HAD THE HELP SHE NEEDED. I WAS CRYING OFTEN, NOT REALLY LEANING INTO MY SUPPORTS AND ISOLATING MYSELF. THERE WERE THINGS THAT MY PCP OR MY OB AT THE TIME NOTICED, AND I GOT AN ASSESSMENT AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PRENATAL DEPRESSION. I WAS AROUND SIX MONTHS PREGNANT AT THAT TIME. COMING UP, HEAR FROM A WOMAN WHO WAS IN LABOR FOR 40 HOURS AND NEEDED TO TURN TO RESOURCES LIKE HEALTHY START.

Community members and advocates offered a birth plan during a roundtable discussion hosted by Healthy Start, aimed at reducing disparities in maternal care for Black mothers and their babies.Cheyenne Campbell, a mental health advocate with "Still Smiling," shared her stressful labor story, which lasted 40 hours. She said, “So when I had to transition from a midwife center to a hospital, those worries of are these doctors going to rush me through my pregnancy, is this doctor going to try and make me have a c-section because my labor is progressing so slowly, will I be cared for and because it was during COVID, I could only have one support person in the room with me so those worries came in too. I don't have an advocate."Data from the Allegheny County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underscore the urgency of these discussions. The "Allegheny County Birth Plan for Black Babies and Families" revealed that Black women in Pittsburgh die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications at rates higher than 97% of comparable U.S. cities.Campbell stressed that the worries and concerns of Black mothers are both “valid and real.”Yazmin Bennett-Kelly, Birth Initiative Director at Healthy Start, highlighted maternal mental health as one of the leading factors contributing to the mortality rate of Black women in Allegheny County. This prompted the roundtable discussion, which brought together community members, health professionals, and advocates to propose solutions.“Women are telling us they need culturally responsible and more comprehensive care,” Bennett-Kelly said. “They are emphasizing mental health, which is why we are here.”Held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Community Engagement Center in the Hill District, the event also highlighted personal stories like that of Taylor Pinkston, clinical practice manager at Healthy Start, who experienced prenatal depression while six months pregnant.“I was crying often, isolating myself and not leaning into my support systems,” Pinkston shared. “Thankfully, my OB diagnosed me with prenatal depression, and I was able to get the help I needed.”Healthy Start leaders added that their organization provides several family resources across Allegheny and Westmoreland counties to address these issues comprehensively.

PITTSBURGH —

Community members and advocates offered a birth plan during a roundtable discussion hosted by Healthy Start, aimed at reducing disparities in maternal care for Black mothers and their babies.

Cheyenne Campbell, a mental health advocate with "Still Smiling," shared her stressful labor story, which lasted 40 hours.

She said, “So when I had to transition from a midwife center to a hospital, those worries of are these doctors going to rush me through my pregnancy, is this doctor going to try and make me have a c-section because my labor is progressing so slowly, will I be cared for and because it was during COVID, I could only have one support person in the room with me so those worries came in too. I don't have an advocate."

Data from the Allegheny County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underscore the urgency of these discussions. The "Allegheny County Birth Plan for Black Babies and Families" revealed that Black women in Pittsburgh die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications at rates higher than 97% of comparable U.S. cities.

Campbell stressed that the worries and concerns of Black mothers are both “valid and real.”

Yazmin Bennett-Kelly, Birth Initiative Director at Healthy Start, highlighted maternal mental health as one of the leading factors contributing to the mortality rate of Black women in Allegheny County. This prompted the roundtable discussion, which brought together community members, health professionals, and advocates to propose solutions.

“Women are telling us they need culturally responsible and more comprehensive care,” Bennett-Kelly said. “They are emphasizing mental health, which is why we are here.”

Held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Community Engagement Center in the Hill District, the event also highlighted personal stories like that of Taylor Pinkston, clinical practice manager at Healthy Start, who experienced prenatal depression while six months pregnant.

“I was crying often, isolating myself and not leaning into my support systems,” Pinkston shared. “Thankfully, my OB diagnosed me with prenatal depression, and I was able to get the help I needed.”

Healthy Start leaders added that their organization provides several family resources across Allegheny and Westmoreland counties to address these issues comprehensively.

Roundtable held on maternal care, mental health disparities in Allegheny County

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