Baltimore committee advances Black maternal health agenda, spotlights doula training and data gaps

Councilwoman Felicia Porter, chair of the Baltimore City Council Public Health and Environment Committee, opened a committee hearing on a proposed resolution inviting city agencies and community partners to brief the council on perinatal and reproductive health needs facing Baltimore’s Black community and strategies to improve access to prenatal and reproductive care.

“The Black Maternal Health Agenda of Baltimore City outlines a comprehensive strategy to address systemic disparities in maternal care, particularly affecting black communities,” Porter said as she introduced resolution 25-0016R, which asks the Health Department, the Office of Equity and Civil Rights, the Mayor’s Office of Children and Families and other parties to appear before the council.

The council and agency presenters framed the agenda around data showing stark racial gaps in outcomes. Jana Goins, an epidemiologist with the Baltimore City Health Department’s Bureau of Maternal and Child Health, said, “In Baltimore City, Black birthing people experience a risk of death 2.5 times higher than white birthing people in Baltimore City.” Goins and other department staff told the…