Dr. Meredith Shockley-Smith to Speak at U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Event

Dr. Meredith Shockley-Smith, executive director of Cradle Cincinnati, will be speaking on a panel discussion led by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra Monday, April 17 at 10am in Washington DC. Black Maternal Health Outcomes: Keeping Hope Alive! will bring together national experts to discuss best practices and innovative models to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

This event caps Black Maternal Health Week, a weeklong campaign founded by Black Mamas Matter Alliance “to build awareness, activism, and community-building to amplify the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people.”

“Black Maternal Health Week is a time to focus on reproductive justice for Black women,” said Dr. Meredith Shockley-Smith. “Cradle Cincinnati intentionally centers culturally competent practices – like connecting Black moms-to-be with Black birth workers and creating spaces for Black women to rest, relax and repower – because this is what Black moms tell us they need. It is an honor to have our efforts recognized by Secretary Xavier Becerra and to represent the work of our community in front of a national audience.”

Black Maternal Health Week underscores Cradle Cincinnati's mission to measurably improve Hamilton County, Ohio’s infant mortality rate and eliminate racial inequities in the health of moms and babies. In 2021, Black babies were nearly 5x more likely to die than White babies locally. This mirrors a national trend of Black babies dying at higher rates than White babies, regardless of their mothers’ socioeconomic status or health behaviors.

Black Maternal Health Outcomes: Keeping Hope Alive! will be held Monday, April 17, 10am-11am at https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscOCvpj4sGElYVrvAU9zGIddo7vLuN-4 and https://www.hhs.gov/live/live-1/index.html#9087.