Today marks an historic milestone in New York’s Hudson Valley region, as Westchester Medical Center announced its launch of the Center for Women’s Health Equity to address health disparities, marking the first-ever such initiative in the region. The program aims to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality by addressing social, economic, cultural, and racial determinants of health.
The Center will integrate specialists in maternal-fetal medicine with heart and vascular program clinicians to take a proactive and holistic approach to elevated risk factors, particularly among women of color.
As the first program of its kind in the Hudson Valley, it will focus primarily on reducing the leading causes of death among pregnant women and will provide care at Westchester Medical Center and HealthAlliance Hospital.
The news comes at a time when the United States faces urgent challenges in maternal mortality, with significant disparities in health outcomes for minority women. In New York State, Black, non-Hispanic women are up to five times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their White counterparts. The Center aims to address these disparities and improve outcomes for all women.
The launch of the Center is supported by a $750,000 New York State grant secured by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, reflecting the commitment to closing healthcare gaps and achieving health equity for women in the region.
Today’s announcement can be found here, and the Center’s website can be accessed here.
