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BOSTON (WBZNewsRadio) - The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) has released it's latest Maternal and Infant Health Report, highlighting several racial inequities within the City of Boston.
The report breaks down the latest trends when it comes to birth in the City of Boston, including birth rates, teenage birth rates, low birthweight births, preterm births and infant deaths. By compiling this data, the BPHC "provides data to inform stakeholders with actionable information on the maternal experience of Boston residents."
The most recent report found infant mortality within Boston's Black community is more than twice as high as the citywide average rate, and three times the rate for White babies. Hyde Park was found to have the highest rate of infant mortality of anywhere else in the City. Next door, the community of Roslindale was found to have the lowest rate of infant mortality in the city.
"48.7% of Hyde Park residents are Black. The median income is $81,849 and 14.4% of residents have a bachelor’s degree. By comparison, in Roslindale, 25% of residents are Black. The median income is $93,601 and 17.4% of residents have a bachelor’s degree." The BPHC said.
When it comes to birthweight, 13.4 percent of Black infants are born with a low birthweight, meantime that percentage remains at just 6.2 for White infants.
“As the nation’s healthcare hub, Boston has a responsibility to lead by tackling the social determinants of health that unjustly harm our residents and disproportionately impact BIPOC communities,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “The Maternal and Infant Health report’s findings are alarming, and in our charge to make Boston the best city to raise a family, we will work with our Boston community and healthcare experts to find solutions that empower mothers and families of all backgrounds."
According to recent data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Black women are nearly two times more likely to die during pregnancy or within a year postpartum compared to White women.
“The findings of our Maternal and Child Health of Boston Report are a call to action for our city,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. “These stark racial inequities in infant mortality and other birth outcomes cannot continue to exist. Boston is one of the few cities with the public health and health care infrastructure necessary to address these inequities, and we will commit our resources to doing so.”
"Racism, discrimination and implicit bias within the health care system negatively influence pregnancy outcomes among Black individuals." BPHC wrote in a release. "Social determinants of health, the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes like housing, income, food security, and neighborhood safety, significantly contribute to persistent inequities. As the report demonstrates, these determinants of health have led to troubling racial health inequities in birth outcomes."
Next, the BPHC will work with results of their report to work with City officials, healthcare providers and legislators to create policies and tackle "current programming that address the root causes of racial inequities in birth outcomes." The organization was also recently granted $4.7 million from the CDC to create the Boston Healthy Families Community-Based Perinatal Health Project. The project will expand access to doula care, by training and certifying new doulas to work in underserved neighborhoods.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports
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