GNYHA Joins NYS Maternal Mortality Series

GNYHA staff recently attended a series of New York State-sponsored listening sessions on maternal mortality and morbidity. Organized as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Initiative to Target Maternal Mortality and Reduce Racial Disparities in Outcomes, conducted by New York State Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Howard Zucker, MD, JD, and arranged by DOH’s Maternal and Infant Community Health Collaboratives, the listening sessions took place in communities across the State. GNYHA attended sessions in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. At each session, local women discussed their experiences and reflections on their access to and quality of care they received during the perinatal and post-partum periods. Information collected in the listening sessions will be provided to Governor Cuomo’s Maternal Mortality Taskforce, which is working to identify strategies to address and ultimately reduce the rate of maternal mortality and morbidity, particularly among black women. GNYHA has been an active partner with DOH, our member hospitals, and others on targeted initiatives to improve obstetrical outcomes. Lorraine Ryan, Senior Vice President for Legal, Regulatory, and Professional Affairs, is representing GNYHA on the Governor’s Maternal Morality Taskforce.