![]() That's exactly what Sapphire Garcia-Lies is trying to do with the Kansas Birth Justice Society, a few miles away in north Wichita. SMITH: Black women are just not listened to, so when they're seeking care, there's a lot of disparities in access to quality health care within our state.ĬONLON: Birth experts say reducing Black infant mortality means taking a wide look at all of the social, environmental and economic factors that contribute to it. She also says research shows doctors are less likely to diagnose Black women with endometriosis or refer them for cardiac treatment and are more likely to ignore their pain. Smith says premature births can reflect maternal health disparities that exist long before pregnancy. SHARLA SMITH: A lot of this is just contributed to the stress on the Black body.ĬONLON: While the leading cause of white and Hispanic infant death is birth defects, for Black babies, it's complications from being born too early and underweight. Sharla Smith, a University of Kansas professor who directs the Kansas Birth Equity Network, says Black people experienced both at higher rates. And experts point to job loss and other sources of stress as potential factors. Initial research has linked the COVID-19 virus to pregnancy complications. There are still big questions about what exactly happened, but the pandemic looms large. Now, 17 Black babies out of every thousand die before their first birthday in the state, over 3 1/2 times the rate for white babies. A few months ago, researchers at the Center for Research for Infant and Birth Survival asked her to help teach these classes after new data showed Black infant mortality in Kansas surged 58% in 2020. But before we do that, we're going to have a pop quiz.ĬONLON: Jones-Foxx is the president of the Wichita Black Nurses Association. JONES-FOXX: Sometimes that can be pretty intimidating because we're all a little shy when it comes to professionals. Before they go to a doctor's checkup, she tells them to write down their questions ahead of time and insist that they get answers. We're going to go ahead and get started.ĬONLON: Today's lesson is about how to stay healthy during pregnancy. PEGGY JONES-FOXX: Hardest work I've ever done.ĬONLON: In a spare room at the Dellrose United Methodist Church in Wichita, she's teaching young pregnant women about that work. ROSE CONLON, BYLINE: Peggy Jones-Foxx knows what it takes to raise a baby. ![]() Rose Conlon of member station KMUW and the Kansas News Service reports on what some birth workers are doing to address that. They're over 3 1/2 times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies. And for Black babies, the picture is especially dire. ![]() Kansas has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the U.S. ![]()
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