- The survey includes more than 100 responses from neighbors in Leon County, highlighting the needs and challenges of birthing or pregnant families of color.
- The CDC says hundreds of women die during pregnancy or the year after.
- Watch the video above to findings in the survey, and what neighbors have to say about it.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
A year-long survey created by Southwest neighbors tries to find solutions for better Black Maternal Health.
I'm Terry Gilliam your Southwest Tallahassee neighborhood reporter.
I see what those results are, and what else is being done to bring attention to the issue.
"Postpartum moms are going through a lot of birthing families are going through a lot, and they're not understanding the resources and tools that are privy to them and so we need to be able to survey to see what exactly their needs are."
Trishay Young. Also known as Mama Yatta, conducted the survey with her organization Melanin Mothers Meet and Kairos Wellness.
It includes more than 100 responses from neighbors in Leon County, highlighting the needs and challenges of birthing or pregnant families of color.
Though the scale is small, Mama Yatta tells me the impact could be huge.
"we need to be able to survey to see what exactly their needs are."
In that survey, 61% of respondents said that depression was a major challenge. 59% cited provider mistreatment and 70% listed substance use.
59% also believe safe neighborhoods are a primary factor in black maternal health.
"A lot of times they're overlooked and we're not necessarily asking the right questions."
The CDC says hundreds of women die during pregnancy or the year after.
But Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related issue than White Women.
"It's something to get us going so that we can create an action plan to action. It's the right time to do so."
That's why neighbors like Young and Kairos Wellness owner, Janicka Harris, are using this survey to pinpoint underlying causes and find solutions.
"We're going to continue to spread the word about the survey findings throughout the community and hopefully throughout the state of Florida."
"It's always helpful to get data and research the needs of the people in our community because that's how we get thriving communities."
Both neighbors say they plan to come up with more initiatives for Black Maternal Health Week which is in April. In Southwest Tallahassee, Terry Gilliam, ABC27.
