HOUSTON – Harris County Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Lesley Briones joined Harris County Public Health to announce a two-day Maternal & Child Health Conference at NRG Center.
The conference, themed “Integrating Systems and Reimagining Models of Care,” will be held from Tuesday through Wednesday. It will provide an opportunity to analyze the health disparities that women encounter from gestation, birth, postpartum, and the first two years after childbirth.
In Harris County, there are significant health inequities in maternal and infant health outcomes, especially for Black mothers and infants, according to a release. In response, HCPH has developed the Maternity and Child Health Program and the Black Maternal Health Cohort.
In 2022, Dr. Baha Sibai, a maternal-fetal medicine physician with UT Health Houston/UT Physicians, told KPRC 2 that racial disparities, lack of access to care, and underlying chronic conditions are other factors attributing to the inequity. Dr. Sibai was among researchers from 60 hospitals and clinics across the country that found treating pregnant women with mild hypertension (blood pressure) before it becomes severe can be lifesaving. Dr. Sibai says the six-year study involved 2,400 women of which half were Black.
The Maternity and Child Health program was established to reduce risks and empower families to build healthier families through care coordination to vital health, wellness and social services.
Watch the full announcement below: