FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez is spearheading an effort to reduce the number of Black infant deaths in the region.
Recent data from Fresno County shows within the past several years, Black women have had the highest number of preterm births compared to other major ethnic groups.
According to the county's Maternal Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) unit, a preterm birth refers to "births that occur at less than 37 weeks gestation," which can and often result in complications and an "increased risk of dying within the first year of life."
Disparity is also reflected in the county's infant mortality rates.
In 2023, MCAH data confirms Black babies accounted for 9.3% of total infant deaths, but only represented 4.9% of Fresno County's total births.
Comparatively, white babies accounted for 18.8% of the total births and 13.3% of infant deaths.
"Those numbers are very alarming compared to their white counterparts. Those are health disparities that I think we need to chip away at a lot of those institutional racist policies that have led to that," Supervisor Chavez said. "When I was working for federally qualified health centers, I saw the disparities. I think something that intrinsically happened to me during COVID. That changed me because I saw what lack of access to health care does to communities, communities that were designated as essential but were treated as disposable. That happened for a reason. Right? And so when you have that track record in our community, we need to rectify that."
The BLACK Wellness & Prosperity Center (BWPC), located in Downtown Fresno, advocates for the well-being and improved health outcomes of the Black community.
BWPC representative Brittany Mbong resonates with Chavez's statements.
"We've tried to say, 'Is it the individual'? Research is now stating it is the structural barriers, the structural racism that is in place, that have really kept these disparities where they are," she said.
As chair for the First 5 Fresno County, Supervisor Chavez says this issue is a top funding priority.
"The funding is a combination of funds from Fresno County Department of Public Health, but also the First Five Fresno County Commission. They've actually allocated, I believe, $158,000 since last year, to focus on prioritizing these health disparities in our African American community," he said.
His plan is to work alongside local organizations like BWPC in order to create meaningful solutions.
Mbong says their nonprofit specifically targets decreasing maternal and infant mortality rates in Fresno.
She explained, "Our organization is very happy to provide and be a resource for our community, whether it's through the Black Doula network where we are creating an infrastructure for our doulas to get access into hospitals and to support these women who are really wanting support, and also through our pregnancy care groups that we're excited to be starting next month."
They are now working together to expand the BWPC's non-clinical group care services and implement group prenatal care.
"We've been really excited to partner with First Five and Supervisor Chavez to start implementing group prenatal care and support here at BWPC. This first stage, we will be gathering moms and creating a space where they can come and connect with community. We'll support them through their pregnancy as a support group and in the second phase, we will be able to host and to have prenatal care here at this facility, where they will not have to go to another facility to receive their prenatal care," Mbong said.
Chavez hopes the impact of their partnership will last for years to come.
He explained, "I represent the second largest concentration of African American population in the City of Fresno. And when you look at Butler Park, when you look at southwest Fresno, that's a community that has been neglected for a long, long time. And so now to have this opportunity to make things right, I think it starts with access to health care."