BALTIMORE — For every dance party, snack time and baby breakdown, mom of 2 Gladys Qualls is the anchor for her little ones. However, she hasn't always had the support she needs.
"The depression started to set in when the dishes started to pile up, when the clothes were not being washed. I realized I was not feeding myself,” said Qualls.
During her second pregnancy, she felt unheard in the delivery room. That isolation continued when she couldn't find resources for single mothers.
"It's like a tug of war. You're pulling and fighting where it shouldn't really be a fight,” said Qualls.
Programs like Baltimore Healthy Start offer wrap around services for mothers, in a country that has the highest maternal death rate among developed nations.
"I know a lot of other mothers not wanting to go to hospitals because they just now how quick that power is being taken from them."
The Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative launched at the beginning of the year to reduce maternal health disparities. Maryland has found itself at the center for the driving change.
"What we funded was a collaborative of minority serving institutions with a focus on historically black colleges. Morgan State is going to be the coordinating center for that effort,” said Carole Johnson, Administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration.
It's all part of a 5 year, $50 million investment across 16 institutions. Morgan State University was selected to be the hub for research which will then be implemented on a larger scale.
"This problem didn't start yesterday. There are grass roots leaders all over this country and all over Maryland that have been fighting this good fight for a long time but what they needed was this kind of commitment and support,” said Johnson.
The Health Resources and Services Administration [HRSA] joined local health organizations, government officials and patients at Morgan State to discuss maternal health. Gladys joined the conversation as an advocate for other mothers.
“I just want change to start happening and equality to be pushed all around the board. They see your insurance, they think of you as a number and give you but so much care. They don’t go the full 10 to provide for us as African Americans,” said Qualls.
"The disparities are significant. Black and indigenous women die at 2 to 3 times the rate as white women. Over the long term our goal is to change the trajectory of these numbers. We got to get people in prenatal care earlier,” said Johnson.
Studies show that 80 percent of maternal deaths are preventable. Through the maternal health initiatives, they provide a mental health hotline, train community based doulas and offer home visits to connect moms with nurses and social workers.
"The president really fought to double the federal investment. When we started Maryland got $7.5 million. This year Maryland will be eligible for $9.8 million and we'll continue to grow it every year for the next 5 years," said Johnson.
Another effort has been diversifying the delivery room.
"We support scholarships and loan repayments to healthcare providers to recruit them to practice in high need communities. In particular in Maryland on the Eastern shore we have a number of OBGYNs and midwives who are there because of our scholarships," said Johnson.
At the round table meeting, HRSA also announced $68 million to care for women and children with HIV/AIDS.