© 2025 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Toronto Address:
130 Queens Quay E.
Suite 903
Toronto, ON M5A 0P6


Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
BTPM NPR Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Pregnancy mortality rates a growing concern in Black community

Family Justice Center CEO Catherin Miles-Kania, as well as Kaleida Health's Dr. J'Leise Sosa, far-right, Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network CEO LuAnne Brown, second-right, and Erie County Health Commissioner and pediatrician Dr. Gale Burstein, speak Monday about promoting awareness of pregnancy mortality, particularly among Black mothers.
Alex Simone
/
BTPM NPR
Family Justice Center CEO Catherin Miles-Kania, as well as Kaleida Health's Dr. J'Leise Sosa, far-right, Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network CEO LuAnne Brown, second-right, and Erie County Health Commissioner and pediatrician Dr. Gale Burstein, speak Monday about promoting awareness of pregnancy mortality, particularly among Black mothers.

Black women are at a heightened risk of domestic violence during pregnancy, which has local advocates and health leaders coming together to promote awareness.

According to a 2022 study by Harvard University, homicide is the leading cause of death for women who are pregnant, with higher risk among Black mothers.

More work must be done to bridge the space from hospital care to social advocacy agencies, says Dr. J’Leise Sosa, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Kaleida Health.

“Too often, as a physician, when I see a patient, I know that the (Family Justice Center) is available, I know that the (Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network) is available, but we have this big gap between how we get that patient from the office to the care that she needs," she said. "Many times, she has to think about her other children, how she's going to provide for them.”

Medical providers must cultivate relationships with patients to be able to spot signs of partner abuse, and so pregnant women will be more comfortable opening up when experiencing abuse, Sosa said.

Another important factor to consider is that physical signs of abuse won't always appear visually, Family Justice Center CEO Catharine Miles-Kania said. That increases the importance of resources like FJC's forensic medical unit, which can use a forensic camera to capture signs of abuse that might be below the skin's surface.

"This is particularly important for areas of equity, people who have darker skin, people who do not actually show injuries as easily as somebody with lighter skin," she said. "This camera is allowed to really cut through all of that, all of that evidence, to be able to highlight exactly what happened to this particular individual."