Social Equity in Birth Outcomes: Black Infant Mortality Reduction in New Jersey

In the United States, racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality persist despite greater medical and technological advances and steady declines in prevalence. In New Jersey, Black infants experience premature death at two to three times the rates of White infants. Stress is a major modifiable risk factor for adverse birth outcomes among women of color. Stress has been linked to preterm delivery, and researchers are examining the impact of racism on this psychosocial response including anxiety, depression, and anger. The Black Infant Mortality Reduction Resource Center (BIMRRC) within the Northern NJ Maternal/Child Health Consortium was established in 1999 to increase awareness of racial/ethnic perinatal health disparities. This presentation will discuss current statistics related to pregnancy outcomes, discuss the role of stress and racism in reducing disparities, and highlight new evidence-based interventions that have improved pregnancy outcomes for Black women.

Speaker, Kweli Rashied Walker, is a graduate of Bennett College of Greensboro, North Carolina where she earned a Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Public Health from Emory University of Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Walker is currently the Director of the Northern New Jersey Maternal/Child Health Consortium, Black Infant Mortality Reduction Center of Paramus, NJ. At the Center she provides leadership in staff supervision, grant writing, and coordination of education, training, and outreach activities. In her career Ms. Walker has been the Deputy Director of the Alzheimer’s and Caregiver Recourse center within the New York City Department for the Aging where she assisted the Director with departmental strategic planning and program development. She was also a Grant Manager for the Department as well, where she oversaw grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to this Ms. Walker was an Associate Director for the Association of Black Cardiologists, Center for Women's Health in Atlanta, Georgia. There she was responsible for daily operations, budget development grant administration, and worked closely with corporate advisory boards and the board of directors. Ms. Walker also was a Budge Analyst for the Clark Atlanta University based, Visualization, Simulation & Design Lab (ViSiDeL).