Bronx borough president says maternal-health gaps reflect systemic racism; office pushes doula directory

Vanessa Gibson, borough president, said disparities in maternal health for Bronx women are rooted in systemic racism and gaps in access to prenatal and postnatal care.

Gibson told Bronx Talk that the borough's work included interviews with Black nurses, CNAs, birth workers, doulas and midwives, and cited the 1988 Childbearing Center of Morris Heights as an early local model. "It's been going on for quite some time, Gary, and I often say that it is a part of systemic racism," she said, adding that insurance, transportation and social determinants drive persistent barriers.

Why it matters: Bronx women experience measurable obstacles to receiving the full range of prenatal and postnatal services, Gibson said, and those obstacles—she argued—require both investment and structural change. She described conversations with frontline professionals and said her office is working with the New York State Department of Health "to build out a doula directory" to increase access to culturally competent birth support.

Details: Gibson named multiple contributors to the problem, including profit-driven practices in health care, lack of access to local doula and midwifery services, and practical obstacles such as transportation. She said the borough's report on birthing highlighted both historical efforts and current shortfalls in meeting the needs of Black mothers.

Next steps: Gibson indicated her office's immediate next step is the doula-directory collaboration with the state health department, intended to broaden access to trained birth-support providers. No formal legislation or funding amounts were stated in the segment.