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Women and babies of color face higher health care disparities

ALPENA, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services needs your input to improve the lives of mothers and babies. They’re traveling statewide for responses.

District Health Department Number 4 has an upcoming town hall on mother infant health and equity improvement planning. The meeting will have free food and it starts September 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Aplex.

Health education specialist Cathy Goike says women and babies of color, especially, lack access to quality health care.

“The reason why the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, this is along with other state and local partners, want to hear from us is because in Michigan we still have mothers dying from child birth. We still have babies dying within their first year of life.”

Researchers at the University of Michigan found black and Hispanic women with two or more health conditions were two to three times more likely to experience a severe birth problem compared with white mothers. The study concluded that health care access prior to pregnancy is a contributor to maternal morbidity.