The University of Michigan Health-West is partnering with Celebration Cinema and Consult Me to raise awareness about racism in healthcare and the effects it has on Black women.
Celebration Cinema South will screen the short film Toxic: A Black Woman’s Story on Tuesday, April 11 at 12pm and 6pm.
The 2019 work explores factors that impact many Black women’s experiences during pregnancy, raising awareness about structural racism and its effects on infant and maternal mortality.
A community discussion will follow both of Tuesday's screenings.
"This film screening will be much more than a screening. The participants will walk away with tangible steps they can take to make a positive impact on these health outcomes. Yes, we are a health care organization, but when we talk about maternal and infant mortality rates, whatever your industry or field, there is a role to play,” Dr. Rhae-Ann Booker with U of M Health–West said.
According to the University of Michigan Health-West, infant mortality is the death of an infant before their first birthday. Often considered a key indicator of the overall health of a region, the infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births Stress on mothers before and during pregnancy can negatively affect birth outcomes — and racial inequities increase these risks.
Maternal mortality rates, too, reflect this disparity. According to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Healthcare professionals estimate that as many as 60 percent of maternal deaths are preventable.
“The challenge and the opportunity is that these are preventable health outcomes, so yes we want to increase awareness about these rates among Black women but importantly we want to inspire folks to take positive actions to improve the actions that are preventable," Booker said.
