Homicide by a domestic partner is the top cause of death among pregnant women. One local expert says a lack of resources within the Black community can make a pregnancy more difficult.
Seeking help for domestic violence is about making patients feel at ease, said Dr. J’Leise Sosa, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Kaleida Health Women's Health Center. It can sometimes help that she’s also a Black woman because there’s a cultural understanding and comfortability, Sosa said.
“Because of grassroots efforts by patients, community advocates really highlighting the stark differences in Black maternal health compared to white communities, there has been a lot of work over the years that has changed policy," she said. "Thas made leaders in healthcare, hospital systems, physicians more aware of these disparities.”
Another key factor in building trust is that care providers see patients repeatedly leading up to and after childbirth. Niagara Falls Medical Center Director of Perinatal and Infant Community Health Eileen Keineke (Kinnikey) says that repeated exposure can be what creates the opportunity to get away from a dangerous situation.
“Oftentimes, the partner — who may or may not be abusive — knows them, trusts them," she said. "They're coming at least once a month after a few visits, he's like, ‘Oh, she's just here to talk about the baby. This is fine. We're safe.’ And that opens that door for those harder conversations.”
The increased vulnerability to domestic violence doesn’t end after pregnancy, Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network CEO LuAnne Brown said.
“Sometimes it's a financial power, ‘I'm not going to give you the credit card; tell me how you're spending your money.’ It's not always physical abuse, sometimes it's an emotional (abuse)," she said. "Now they they're going to have a baby, and they're like, sometimes it's like, is it better not to have him there or to have him there?”
A key component of maternal health is outreach, so interacting with community members or even being seen at parades are important efforts, Sosa said.
"It's an extremely rewarding experience," she said. "When we are visible to the community, when we show that we have efforts that partner with groups that are started in the community, and when we get the opinion and advice of community members with these advisory boards, I think all those are methods in which we could really partner with the community in a better way and also show that we're not just here to treat your medical illness."
