CHC and MetroHealth Connect in Cleveland for Aftershock Screening and Discussion
In partnership with CHC: Creating Healthier Communities, MetroHealth hosted a free showing of the documentary Aftershock, which tells the story of two families who experience the death of young women after complications due to childbirth. The event was held to bring awareness to the Black maternal health crisis facing women in the Cleveland area and around the US.
According to a news release from MetroHealth, national health statistics show that Black women are three times more likely than others to die from pregnancy-related causes. Cuyahoga County has one of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in the country for Black women and babies, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
“Research confirms that most of these deaths are preventable,” said MetroHealth President & CEO Airica Steed, Ed.D, RN, MBA, FACHE. “And, as the first Black female CEO of MetroHealth, my goal is to prevent them all. No one’s life should ever be put at risk or cut short because of the color of their skin or where they live. We must confront the structural injustices and centuries of mistreatment that have cost far too many lives. It is my personal goal to a give a voice to the voiceless and ensure they are empowered to advocate for their own health needs.”
Courtney Gousman, evening anchor at WEWS-ABC, moderated the panel discussion following the film screening. Panelists included Heather Rice, PhD, APRN-CNP, PMHS, assistant professor in the School of Nursing at Cleveland State University; Da’na Langford, CNM, Co-Founder, CEO and Medical Director at the Village of Healing Center in Euclid; Myla Flores, a New York City-based doula, childbirth educator and lactation counselor who appears in the film; Shawnee Benton Gibson, Omari Maynard, and Bruce McIntyre – family members of Shamony and Amber, and Black maternal health activists who also appear in the film. CHC President and CEO, Jean C. Accius, PhD, also spoke.
Alan K. Nevel, SVP, Chief Equity Officer, The MetroHealth System, and member of CHC Board of Directors led the way in support of this event. This is just part of CHC leadership’s commitment to health equity and advancing maternal health for Black women. Board member Alison Braman, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Hilti North America, has partnered to screen this important documentary.
