PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pregnant women in Delaware County are getting some much needed help thanks to a new federally funded program.
There are significant racial disparities in maternal health, according to Melissa Lyon, director of the Delaware County Health Department.
“The most recent data that we have through the CDC suggests … that pregnancy for Black moms is nearly four times more deadly than it is for white moms,” Lyon said.
Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor says more than $950,000 in federal funds are going to a new program that will help women of color improve pregnancy outcomes.
“To create a new workforce development program to train perinatal community health care workers and doulas who can work to reduce racial disparities in maternal health,” Taylor said.
Lyon says the work that will be done through this program goes beyond the delivery room.
“Doulas traditionally provide guidance and support to pregnant women during labor. However, they can be so much more than a support person during what should be a special time for everyone,” Lyon said.
Alongside U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Sen. Bob Casey helped secure the funds to start this new program.
“This isn’t just something we throw our hands up and say, ‘Well, that’s just the reality,’” Casey said. "These are preventable deaths of mothers in Delaware County, and so many counties across our country, and the federal government has to make investments greater than this.”
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