On April 11, 2024, at the start of National Black Maternal Health Week, Care Ring hosted its inaugural Black Maternal Health Conference at The Conference Center at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, to a sold-out group of over 300 participants. Guests included physicians, doulas, community health workers, mental health providers, healthcare executives, students, birthing justice advocates, birthing families, and more.
As a leader in maternal-child health in Mecklenburg County, as well as having the largest Nurse-Family Partnership program in the Southeast, Care Ring felt it was imperative to host a learning and collaboration opportunity to try to improve the disparities in outcomes for Black birthing people, who die at two to three times the rate of their white counterparts. Care Ring partnered with Novant Health as their Presenting Sponsor, Mecklenburg County Public Health as the Venue Sponsor, and Atrium Health as the Education Sponsor. Continuing education credits were offered in a variety of disciplines to participants, overseen by Southern Piedmont AHEC.
The conference featured spoken word and visual art; speakers from national, regional, state, and local leadership; 12 breakout sessions; sponsor and nonprofit expo; panel discussion; student poster session; the presentation of two maternal health IMPACT awards; and a poignant story of loss and near-death from Impact Speaker Tomeka Isaac.
For full coverage of the event, including links to media coverage, photos, and more, please VISIT THE CONFERENCE WEBSITE.
If you are interested in supporting and/or participating in next year's Black Maternal Health Conference, please email: [email protected].
Beyond the Conference: Respectful Maternity Care Simulator and Solidarity Walk
Care Ring also spearheaded two additional events after the conference: a Respectful Maternity Care Simulator and a Solidarity Walk. The Simulator was held on April 18th at the UNC-Charlotte campus, co-hosted and organized by their Dept of Public Health Sciences and by First TEAM America. The Solidarity Walk occurred on April 20th at Marshall Park, and was organized by Jonisha Brown MD and LaChelle Davis-Moore.
