Panel Discussion to be held at A-State for Black Maternal Health Week
JONESBORO – A panel discussion will be held at Arkansas State University for Black Maternal Health Week, observed Thursday through Wednesday, April 11-17. The panel discussion will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, in the auditorium of Reng Student Union.
The purpose of the week is to bring awareness, activism, and community-building to improve the health of Black mothers. In the Black community, four out of every five pregnancy-related deaths are considered preventable.
“We are inspired by Black Maternal Health Week to get the word out about such things as prenatal, delivery, or postpartum care,” said Dr. Lonnie Williams, vice chancellor of the Division of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement.
“We must make sure mothers and prospective mothers get the support and resources they need. This panel is being held to provide information on our partnering organizations’ abilities to provide culturally sensitive care, trauma-informed care, and other services to our audience.”
The panel includes several medical practitioners. The panel facilitator will be Dr. Brook Laurent, a family medicine doctor, who serves as the chairperson of the Department of Clinical Medicine at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. Panelists will include Dr. William Greenfield, an obstetrician-gynecologist at UAMS; Amber Ray, a family nurse practitioner and childbirth educator at NEA Baptist; and Dr. Adrienne Loftis, an obstetrician-gynecologist at St. Bernards Medical Center.
This event is sponsored by the Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement; NYITCOM Office of Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Belonging; Craighead County NAACP; Mu Omicron Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; Kappa Nu Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; the Jonesboro Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; Sigma Gamma Eta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.; and Arkansas Early Learning, Inc.
For more information, one may contact Dr. Evette Allen Moore, assistant dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at NYITCOM, by phone at 870-680-8835 or email eallen03@nyit.edu.
Carl R. Reng Student Union at Arkansas State University
