UPMC will host a “Birthing While Black” Community Listening Session to address healthcare disparities, diversity representation and how to improve the maternal health outcomes of women of color Monday, April 15, 6 p.m. at Uansa Village Community Room, 11 Helen & Robbs Streets, McKees Rocks, Pa. There will be a panel discussion with local physicians and community members. This event is free and open to the public as part of the UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital observance of Black Maternal Health Week, April 11 to 17.

Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s most recent report (2021) found that the state’s pregnancy-associated mortality was higher than the national average at 82 deaths per 100,000 live births. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.  

·         Bonita Pannell, outreach coordinator, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital  

·         Dr. Sharee Livingston, OB/GYN, chair of obstetrics and gynecology, UPMC Lititz 

·         Terri Clemons Clark, MBA, development director, Sto-Rox Neighborhood Health Council 

·         Trevia Dixon, senior manager, Sto-Rox Neighborhood Health Council 

·         Syretta Gordon, founder, Kangaroo Birthing and Maternity Concierge Services 

·         Takiyah Durham, director, First Steps and Beyond, Allegheny Health Network