NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — According to the Centers for Disease Control, the mortality rate for pregnant black women is more than two and a half times that of others nationwide in Louisiana with the number ballooning to four to one.

On Wednesday (May 10) the ribbon was cut on a brand-new Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic at a New Orleans Hospital. Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) is a specialty that prioritizes the health of both mother and baby when high-risk factor presents themselves.

“This clinic is important because it allows women in the East to access that clinic on a regular basis much easier. We know that the women in the East have to travel 3x’s as far to deliver babies in New Orleans. Also, they have to travel almost equally as far to visit a high-risk clinic,” said C.J. Marbley, Chief Nursing and Operating Officer.

The clinic held a soft opening back in April and has so far served over 30 patients. The hope is for healthier moms and babies in high-risk populations through the research done from maternity clinics in other parts of town.

“Louisiana is ranked at the bottom of the list for maternal mortality rates in the United States and we know that if we can intervene with women of color to help them get more services, quicker services, easier services, then we have the chance for a better outcome,” said Marbley.

Risk factors associated with high-risk pregnancy include multiple births at once, underlying health conditions such as diabetes, mental health, stress, and anxiety, advanced maternal age (being 35 and older), medical history of miscarriage, and more.

“They let us know that they had a large majority of patients that came from these zip codes, came from New Orleans East, so we knew that if we put a clinic here- that’s a captured audience here already,” said Marbley.

The opening of the clinic was the first major step towards labor and delivery returning to the New Orleans East which has not happened since before Hurricane Katrina.

“Our primary goal is to educate and empower expecting mothers and families in Eastern New Orleans on the new and improved level of access they have to Maternal Fetal Medicine in their own neighborhood,” said New Orleans East Hospital President Takeisha Davis.

Davis says the state of maternal health is in critical condition across the country and with Louisiana ranked the highest in maternal mortality women have a worst outcome for having babies.

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