By Lenore T. Adkins, Special to the AFRO
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has invited mayors and leaders from all over the country to descend on the District for her inaugural mayoral Maternal and Infant Health Summit, a Sept. 12 event that will center on the disproportionally high rates of maternal mortality among Black women locally and nationally.
The summit starts at 9 a.m. and will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. It will also give leaders and experts a chance to address best infant and maternal health practices.
“We are working every day to ensure that all women have equal access to high-quality health care before, during and after childbirth — regardless of background, zip code or income,” Bowser said in a statement. “This summit will complement the work my administration is doing across all eight wards to provide women and children with the care they need to live healthy, happy lives.”
For Bowser, who on Sept. 5 introduced her adopted baby daughter Miranda Elizabeth Bowser on the “Today” show, the summit is one of several things she’s doing to help mothers and infants in the District.
Earlier this year, she introduced the Better Access for Babies to Integrated Equitable Services Act of 2018 to create a two-year pilot program that would reduce pre-term births. In May, her administration released the annual Perinatal Health and Infant Mortality Report which zeroes in on programs and approaches that improve and protect perinatal health in the District.
With regards to children’s health, Bowser established Thrive By Five in 2017, a citywide effort that links D.C. families to resources that support maternal and child health, as well as behavioral health and early education.
To RSVP for the summit, visit this link. For more information about the summit itself, visit dcmaternalhealth.com.