We are Saving Mothers, a global non-profit dedicated to eradicating preventable maternal deaths and reversing the inequities in maternal healthcare in NYC and areas around the world where the need is greatest. We do this through education, training, and the use of low-cost, high-impact pragmatic solutions designed to empower women and ensure their voices are heard by healthcare professionals. Although our work has historically taken us to the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Guatemala, and other global sites, we feel a call to action is now necessary in our own backyard: New York City. Shockingly, New York City Black women are 8x more likely to die and 3x more likely to almost die than white women from a pregnancy-related cause.

This shameful and mostly preventable situation speaks to the fact that there is ample evidence, both historic and global, clearly indicating that pregnant women of color are in jeopardy. Many hospital-based interventions have been put in place over the past few decades, but the statistics haven’t changed. Additionally, while there are numerous Community Health Workers in NYC, there is still no standardized training for CHWs serving pregnant women. 

Saving Mothers is collaborating with Healthy Families New York, and our goal is to advance and improve Community Health Workers’ skills and abilities so that they meet the needs of minority pregnant women in NYC. We are excited to announce that we have launched a training program with a cohort of CHWs at Healthy Families Brooklyn that covers important maternal health topics, including risk factors, communication techniques, health literacy, and more. In addition to training CHWs, we will be providing Saving Mother