Toledo Reporter

State Senators Catherine Ingram and Paula Hicks-Hudson hosted the first Black Maternal Health Summit at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce on April 15. The event, part of Minority Health Month and Black Maternal Health Week, aimed to address Ohio's maternal and infant health crisis, particularly its impact on Black families.

The summit underscored that improving maternal and infant health is a public health priority affecting all Ohioans. It called for urgent, collective, bipartisan solutions to address disparities in outcomes.

Shayla L. Davis, President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, was the Master of Ceremonies for the program, which included discussions and data-driven insights.

A legislative panel featuring state Representatives Sedrick Denson, Meredith Lawson-Rowe, and Adam Holmes highlighted legislation addressing maternal health disparities. They acknowledged a shared understanding that Ohio must tackle rising maternal mortality rates and racial inequities.

Authors Jill Miller and Dr. Meredith Smith presented their book "Infant Mortality and Other Wicked Problems," based on their work with Cradle Cincinnati. Their presentation advocated for replicating successful interventions statewide.

Former state Senator Charleta Tavares delivered the keynote address, discussing progress made in Ohio and systemic changes needed to eliminate preventable maternal deaths and close racial gaps in infant survival.

Angela Dawson moderated a provider panel featuring experts like Dr. Meredith Shockley-Smith from Cradle Cincinnati, Dr. Kami Dixon from Moms2B (Columbus), Dr. Stacey Scott from Baby1st Network (Toledo), and Dàna M. Langford from Village of Healing (Cleveland). They shared community challenges and recommendations for policymakers to improve care access and quality.

Despite some progress, Ohio ranks poorly for Black maternal and infant health outcomes. Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women; Black infants die at more than twice the rate of white infants in the state. These disparities stem from structural inequities rather than biological differences.

The summit concluded with a press conference calling for urgent action.

The Inaugural Black Maternal Health Summit represents a step toward building a sustainable bipartisan movement for maternal health equity in Ohio, focusing on mothers' and infants' lives in state policy and public health.