HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Black mothers living in Harris County are more than three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications.
This week is Black Maternal Health Week, which is recognized nationally to bring awareness to this health crisis.
Dr. Tamika Cross is the owner and practicing OBGYN at Opulence Health and Wellness in Pearland.
“I have patients that drive from all over. I’ve had them drive from Louisiana. I’ve had them drive from Beaumont, Texas to see a person of color just because they felt like they would be heard,” said Dr. Cross.
Cross said her pregnant patients of color are oftentimes scared to give birth at hospitals due to the alarming statistics.
In Harris County, Black mothers are 3.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy complications while Black babies are 1.5 times more likely to be born prematurely. It’s why the March of Dimes gave the county an “F” grade in 2022 for pre-term birth rates, which worsened from the year before.
“I’d go, do a delivery. Vomit. Go see a patient, vomit,” Cross said.
Cross became a patient herself last December when she gave birth to her first child five weeks premature. Cross said she experienced extreme nausea, preeclampsia, high blood pressure, and stress from simultaneously opening a new practice.
“I live by myself, and so I was concerned someone was going to find me dead one day,” the OBGYN said. “That was probably my biggest fear. Or having a seizure, and no one was there.”
She said she had to switch doctors after feeling her pain and concerns were being ignored. She delivered a healthy baby girl.
This week, the Harris County Health Department hosted a two-day conference at NRG Center to spread awareness and discuss ways to reduce implicit bias in the healthcare system.
Barbie Robinson, the agency’s executive director, said the health department is also utilizing $7.7 million from the county to pilot a maternal health program that helps families with home visit support, build parent-child relationships, and assist with transportation.
“Every county around the country has maternal child and adolescent programming. And the fact that we don’t have it here in Harris County Public Health, the third largest public health department in the country, speaks to the need and the inadequate resources that have been available to those women in our county,” Robinson said.
Frances Coleman is a midwife and owner of Full Circle Family Services in southwest Houston. Coleman said she’s noticed a shift of families, particularly Black families, seeking more personalized prenatal care and alternatives for hospital births.
“We have heard plenty of stories in our midwifery care where women are leaving their OB providers because they’re not being heard. They’re being talked down to, they’re being rushed,” Coleman said.
Coleman said more accountability in hospitals, implementing teams in nursing units, and women advocating for themselves may work in tandem to improve the county’s maternal health outcomes.
“You just can’t throw money at an issue. Like, what’s the real issue? And you know, from my perspective, I really do think it’s racism,” Coleman added. “I think it’s how people see African-American people or Black people. They don’t see us as an equal, and even if they don’t believe that readily, it’s somewhere for women to just be dying.”
Coleman said ultimately, she wants expectant families to feel seen and heard. She’s urging mothers to not feel fearful advocating for themselves and their babies.
“Sometimes it’s best to say, ‘I have questions,’ or ‘What’s does that look like? Walk me through the risks and benefits of that,’” Coleman added.
To learn more about Harris County’s Maternal and Child Health Program, click here.