Reducing disparities for Black women and babies in Delaware is the main purpose of a virtual summit planned for Tuesday.
The Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium (DHMIC) was appointed by Governor Ruth Ann Minner in 2005 and was established as a successor to the Infant Mortality Task Force.
Since then, the group has been working on efforts to prevent infant mortality and improve the health of women of childbearing age throughout the First State.
Tiffany Chalk is DHMIC’s Well Women/Black Maternal Health Work Group leader; she says this is the 15th year this summit has been held.
“The theme for this year’s summit is ‘The Power of You, The Power of Community: Shaping the Narrative to Build Healthy Generations,’” said Chalk.
Chalk says topics at this year’s event will include “Leadership for the Next Decade: Recovery, Resilience and Respect” and “Building the Capacity of Communities to Advance Health Equity.” There will also be remarks and presentations by Gov. John Carney and Public Health Director - Dr. Karyl Rattay.
Delaware’s infant mortality rate is among the highest in the nation; Black babies in Delaware are 2.7 times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies, according to statistics from Delaware’s Division of Public Health.
Chalk notes that they are also holding this summit during Delaware’s Black Maternal Health Awareness Week - showcasing statewide awareness efforts.
You can register for the one-day summit here, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
