Caucus Weekend 2020 Features Panel Discussion on 'Maternal Mortality and Morbidity

ALBANY, N.Y. - Feb. 21, 2020 - PRLog -- Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Kappa Zeta Chapter of Brooklyn, NY hosted their 2nd Annual Maternal Health Workshop on 'Why Doula Services are Important in Addressing the Implicit Biases Experienced When Caring for Pregnant Women of Color' at the 49th Annual NYSABPRL Conference this past weekend in Albany engaging discussion on understanding the doula legislation and its impact on community driven care sponsored by March of Dimes.

The doula, a professional trained in childbirth who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother who is expecting is experiencing labor, or has recently given birth. Unfortunately most insurance companies currently do not explicitly cover doulas. The objective of the workshop was to explain the doula legislation currently being reviewed in NYS, to discuss the effects of doula legislation on doula care in NYS, to outline the benefits on doula care and to provide options to advocating and supporting doula services and its impact on community driven care.

The workshop featured an educational and engaging panel discussion with Dr. Tracy R. Webber Director of Midwifery, Chanel L. Porchia - Executive Director of Ancient Song Doula Services, Esther Patterson Birthnet Co-Chair and Nikita Hardy Mother and Recipient of Doula Care Advocate, was sponsored by Assemblywoman Kim Jean-Pierre and conference chair Assemblywoman Latrice M. Walker and funded by March of Dimes.

Since its inception, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., has championed service initiatives designed to address the societal mores, ills, prejudices, and poverty affecting humanity in general, the black community in particular. In 1972, Zeta Phi Beta partnered with the March of Dime and adopted the Stork's Nest Program, an incentive program that provides pregnant young women with prenatal and postnatal education, parenting information and necessities for their newborns.

The United States shows to have been the worst in preventing pregnancy-related deaths than most other races specifically amongst Black women who die at a rate that ranges from 3 to 4 times more higher than their white counterparts.

As a sorority comprised largely of African American women and as a chapter located in Brooklyn, we are very concerned with the many health issues that seem to plague our women.  "We cannot sit idly by while our community continues to suffer in these ways, we are an action-oriented organization and we are calling ourselves to action in the form of developing opportunities to educate our community in hopes of empowering them to become advocates for their individual health!" (thus the inception of the community forum).