PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — City Council Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson has awarded a foundation $250,000 to address the crises of maternal mortality and homelessness among Black women in Philadelphia.
Richardson had her own scare in 2016 while giving birth to her son, she explains. She was in the worst pain of her life, knew something was wrong, and she demanded a caesarian section as she advocated for herself.
“Little did I know at that time, my uterus had ruptured while I was in labor, and if it had been any longer, things may not have ended well,” she said.
Hers is just one of many horror stories Black women experience when they face life-threatening problems during the birthing process.
The $250,000 will go to the A Home From Shana Foundation, which honors the life and legacy of LaShana Gilmore, who died in 2019 at age 34, while giving birth to her second child.
“I never had the opportunity to know her,” Richardson said of Gilmore. “And I remember hearing about her story. And I said we cannot let her story go, because it happens to too many of us. And I said when I have the opportunity to do something about this issue, we are going to do just that.”
They will establish the first and only maternity safe haven in the United States, called LaborLiveLove, staffed with birth doulas.
“Being pregnant, and giving birth, while Black can possibly be one of the most traumatic experiences that one would ever endure,” said founder Cleopatra Robinson. “As of today, we are still being sent home with chest pain, high fever, excessive bleeding, incisions that show no sign of healing, bad headaches, trouble breathing.”
Robinson was Shana’s best friend and is now, herself, a doula. Statistics show Black women are about four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
“A lot of people are scared. A lot of people don't know resources, and a lot of people don't know where to begin to ask for help. Some people are scared to ask for help,” said Nina Winfield, a Philadelphia mother who was previously unhoused. “I wasn't and I hope that nobody else will be either.”
Winfield received help from A Home From Shana Foundation.
State Rep. Gina Curry, co-founder of the black maternal health caucus, says they plan to introduce the Pennsylvania Momnibus on March 18. The bill package covers maternal health community funds, commercial insurance coverage for blood pressure cuffs, and commercial insurance coverage for doula services, among other necessities.