New Cardiac Obstetrics Program Launches at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
The new $1.2 million program will focus on heart disease and its risk factors during pregnancy and after birth, aiming to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity among women of color.
August 29, 2024
Dr. Suzette Graham-Hill, NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County Cardiologist
NEW YORK, NY — NYC Health + Hospitals today announced the launch of a new $1.2 million obstetric cardiology program to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity among women of color by focusing on cardiac disease during pregnancy and postpartum. In New York State, Black women are four to five times more likely than white women to die during pregnancy or in the first year after delivery. More than one in four maternal deaths nationwide are due to cardiac disease. The obstetric cardiology practice will target patients for cardiac disease or risk factors for it (e.g., hypertension, obesity, diabetes) from pre-pregnancy through one year after delivery. The pilot program will be offered at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, which serves communities with high rates of hypertension and other chronic diseases. The care team will include obstetricians, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, emergency department physicians and other specialists, as well as non-clinical staff from pediatrics and emergency departments. Two local community-based organizations, the Caribbean Women's Health Association and Life of Hope, will be the first hubs of a larger community outreach strategy to provide pregnancy and postpartum cardiac health education in Central Brooklyn and support referrals to the program. The Cardio-Obstetrics program is partnered with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) District 2 Safe Motherhood Initiative and is funded in part by Robin Hood.
“It is a national crisis that Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States,” said Wendy Wilcox, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG, Chief Women's Health Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. “NYC Health + Hospitals has prided itself on being a leader in implementing obstetric safety and quality practices to improve maternal care since 2018. Because heart and coronary artery disease is the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Black patients, we are especially proud to introduce the Cardiac Obstetrics Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County. This program is the latest in a comprehensive program NYC Health + Hospitals is implementing to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in New York City. We thank Robin Hood for supporting this highly impactful effort.”
“By launching our Cardiac Obstetrics Program, we're not only addressing cardiac disease, we're redefining maternal care for women of color,” said Sheldon McLeod, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County. “This initiative represents a transformative commitment to reducing disparities, saving lives, and ensuring every mother has a fighting chance at a healthy pregnancy and future. We're incredibly grateful to Robin Hood for their essential support in making this vision a reality. Their partnership plays a critical role in driving meaningful change.”
“Heart dysfunction caused by high blood pressure and obesity significantly contributes to maternal mortality, but it is treatable and preventable,” said Suzette Graham-Hill, M.D., NYC Health Hospitals/Kings County Cardiologists and clinical lead for the new Cardio-Obstetrics Program. “Untreated heart disease puts even younger women at increased risk during pregnancy, which is why this collaboration is so groundbreaking and important.”
“Robin Hood has invested $25 million over the past four years to ensure low-income and at-risk women, particularly women of color, have safe and empowering birth experiences. By investing in a new pilot cardiac obstetrics program at NYC Health + Hospitals Kings County, we are joining the fight to reduce and eliminate soaring maternal mortality and morbidity rates in one of the city's highest-risk areas. We believe our investments will improve birth outcomes, protect at-risk mothers and newborns, and help them experience better health outcomes and improved long-term economic outcomes,” said Dr. Kelly Escobar, Early Childhood Managing Director at Robin Hood, New York City's largest anti-poverty charity.
The Cardiac Obstetrics Program at Kings County Hospital supports pregnant and postpartum patients in the following ways:
Encourage pregnant patients to begin prenatal care as early as possible, especially through partnerships with local community-based organizations; Manage patients' hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and other identified chronic conditions; Address social determinants of health and encourage healthy lifestyle changes, including diet, exercise, and other factors, through maternity homes; Ensure connection to behavioral health support; Encourage patients who are 36 weeks pregnant to contact Virtual ExpressCare, the health system's on-demand telehealth service, to address urgent needs in real time with certified clinicians. Virtual ExpressCare maternal and postpartum care is available 24 hours a day, every day.
“Central Brooklyn is the epicenter of New York City's Black maternal health crisis, with Black immigrant populations disproportionately affected,” said Life of Hope Director Christina Pardo, MD, MPH. “We applaud Kings County Hospital for not only developing an innovative program that addresses one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, but also for centering families and communities who face unique barriers to receiving care. Underlying conditions are one of the main drivers of disparities, and we look forward to working together to provide comprehensive support to families who face social and cultural barriers to receiving care.”
NYC Health + Hospitals obstetrics and gynecology services include primary care, family planning, abortion care, prenatal through delivery care, referrals for midwifery and doula services, postpartum care, breastfeeding and lactation services, breast exams, nutrition, behavioral health referrals, preventive care, and immunizations. Approximately 16,000 babies are born at NYC Health + Hospitals each year. Gynecological services include treatment for menopause and uterine fibroids, as well as specialty care for gynecological cancers, pelvic pain, and endometriosis. Patients can call 844-NYC-4NYC to schedule an appointment.
If you would like to donate to NYC Health + Hospitals, please visit this link on our website.
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Media Contact: [email protected]
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County is a 639-bed acute care teaching hospital in central Brooklyn. Our highly specialized programs include a Level I Trauma Center, Pediatric Emergency Room, Level III Perinatal Center, Heart Health Center, Stroke Center, Sickle Cell Program, Behavioral Health Center, and Diabetes Education Center of Excellence. Many of our programs, including cardiac, stroke, and diabetes services, are nationally recognized. We offer a wide range of primary and specialty care, including neuroscience, orthopedic, urology, and cardiology services. Our outpatient services provide more than 500,000 consultations annually, more than 150,000 behavioral health outpatient program visits, plus nearly 23,000 inpatient discharges. NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County has played a vital role in providing health care to Brooklyn's vulnerable populations since 1831 and is part of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health system in the United States. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/kingscounty and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KingsCountyHosp or on X (formerly Twitter) @KingsCountyHosp for the latest updates.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the nation's largest municipal health system, serving more than one million New Yorkers annually at more than 70 patient care locations across the five boroughs of New York City. A robust network of outpatient, community-based primary and specialty care centers underpins care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agencies and MetroPlus Health Plan, all supported by 11 vital hospitals. Our diverse workforce of more than 43,000 is singularly focused on helping every New Yorker, without exception, live the healthiest life possible. Learn more at www.nychealthandhospitals.org. Connect with us on Facebook. TwitterInstagram, LinkedIn, etc.
About Robinhood
We are New York City's largest anti-poverty charity, and since 1988, we have invested nearly $3 billion to support and help New Yorkers permanently escape poverty. In 2023, we paved the way for opportunities out of poverty through grants with over 250 community partners, strategic partnerships on child care, child poverty, jobs, living wages and more. We are scaling our impact at the population level to nearly 2 million New Yorkers living in poverty. At Robinhood, we believe where you start in life shouldn't determine where you end up. To learn more about our work and impact, follow us on X. Robin Hood Or visit robinhood.org.
