EUCLID, Ohio — Pregnancy can be a joyous experience, but for some that joy turns to uncertainty.
It’s an experience that changed Jelisa Tipton.
“I was so scared, I didn’t realize number one that something like this could happen, and I didn’t realize, the magnitude of how this would change my life,” she said.
After delivery, she lost a lot of blood.
“They had to call a code for me and baby to stabilize us both, I had to get blood transfused and iron infused to get me back stable,” Tipton said.
Years later, she was pregnant again. The baby came five weeks early.
“Obviously from my past pregnancy and having that trauma with that delivery I was just very unsure of what it was going to look like for me and my daughter this time,” she said.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, Black women in the state are “two and a half times more likely to die from a cause related to pregnancy than white women. The disparities begin during pregnancy and continue through the first year after delivery.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)said there are multiple factors contributing to these disparities, including “variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism and implicit bias.”
Dr. Lauren Bouchard is an OBGYN, as well as co-chair for the Council on Diversity Equity and Inclusion at theCleveland Clinic, Obstetrics and Gynecology Institute.
“We know some of the leading causes of pregnancy related mortality include cardiovascular conditions, infection or sepsis…hemorrhage, and then in Ohio specifically, maternal mental health is a kind of leading cause of mortality,” she said. “Things such as suicide or drug overdose are within that category.”
Bouchard said the goal of the institute is to make sure that the Cleveland Clinic is the best place in the world to receive care as a patient, to practice medicine or to be a caregiver.
“[The goal is] making sure that we have fair and equitable care, and some initiatives are geared towards making sure our staff feel a sense of belonging and feel a sense of engagement within the work that we do in the community,” she said.
According to an email sent to News 5, last year, Cleveland Clinic launched the Center for Infant and Maternal Health initiative to help reduce infant and maternal mortality in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Summit counties.
The initiative brings together a wide range of specialty health services to support at-risk women during their pregnancy and through an infant’s first year of life.
The center focuses on four main areas:
· A medical program focused on maternal health, including managing hypertension, diabetes and other health concerns.
· An obstetric complications program to address preterm birth, congenital abnormalities and other complications during birth.
· A behavioral health program to provide support for mental health and substance use issues.
· A Community Health Workers program to address socioeconomic risk factors. Community Health Workers play a valuable role as facilitators, translators and advocates, connecting individuals to needed resources.
Every year, April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week.
The Clinical Translational Science Collaborative at Case Western Reserve University is hosting a Black Maternal Health Equity Summit on Sunday, April 14, from noon to 4 p.m. at Cleveland State University.
Tipton, who is also a medical assistant with Cleveland Clinic’s Women’s Health Institute in Euclid, will be sharing her story during a discussion called Voices of Mothers.
“Women, especially Black women should use their voice when it comes to pregnancies for themselves and for the baby, Black women are definitely at higher risk more than any other woman of any other color,” she said. “It’s really important to have a support system and if you feel like you can’t speak up for yourself, maybe you can have someone speak up for you and definitely talk to your health care provider.”
She’s a proud girl mom to daughters, 2-year-old Aubree and 10-year-old Olivia, who are doing well and thriving.
“I use my voice all the time,” Tipton said. “One of the things that I do is advocate for my girls.”
