ORLANDO, Fla. – AdventHealth for Women is actively addressing health disparities, particularly in maternal health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the maternal mortality rate for Black women in 2022 was 49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births, significantly higher than the rates for White, Hispanic, and Asian women.

In response to national trends and its own hospital data, AdventHealth launched the “Fourth Trimester” program, which provides enhanced support for Black mothers who had a C-Section delivery.

“We looked at our own health equity data,” said AdventHealth for Women Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rizwana Fareeduddin. “It was heartbreaking, but not surprising because it tracks nationally and it showed that we have some work to do internally and try to improve those outcomes.”

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The 12-week postpartum program is designed to offer additional care to Black women who delivered via C-section, aiming to lower maternal mortality rates.

Fareeduddin said that high blood pressure emerged as the leading cause of readmission.

However, she said the program focuses on “whole person health.”

“A good portion of this is racial bias, gender bias and access, access to amenities that other communities have enjoyed for decades,” Fareeduddin said. “How close is your nearest pharmacy to? Where can you get fresh food?”

Care Coordinator Erike King plays a crucial role in supporting patients, assisting with financial needs, transportation to follow-up appointments, and educating new mothers on symptoms to watch for.

“I don’t want them to do too much, but I want you to feel like you do not have to be Superwoman, even though it’s okay to be Superwoman,” King said. “I don’t want you to feel like it’s all on your shoulders. I want you to feel like you can come in, ask for help, because that’s important.”

Eliza Gordon, a participant in the program, recently had her third child, Trinity.

Having dealt with high blood pressure and preeclampsia, she was provided with a pamphlet by King detailing signs and symptoms to monitor after discharge.

“We were home, and by 2 a.m. that morning, I was looking at that sheet of paper hitting all of the signs and symptoms that I needed to come back in,” Gordon said.

Without the program, she isn’t sure she would have returned to the hospital.

“If I hadn’t had that information readily available to me, I would have probably been like, ‘OK, I will deal with this later tomorrow when I wake up,’” Gordon said.

Since the program’s inception in December 2023, AdventHealth for Women reports a 20% reduction in readmissions among Black women who had C-sections.

“To hear that we are making a difference, I’m like, I want to go back and tell the team, ‘Hey, we are working — we are making some success here,’” King said.

For more information on AdventHealth’s “Fourth Trimester” program, click here.