Evening Roundup: NYC’s Municipal IDs Become Easier to Get, Measles Case on Long Island, Maternal Mortality in the Bronx, and Civics Week Continues

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Janae Pierre: From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Janae Pierre. New York City's municipal ID could soon be easier to get. That's thanks to a bill the City Council passed this week to pilot walk-in appointments across the five boroughs. Last year, demand for the program surged due to the increase in new immigrant arrivals and New Yorkers' struggle to make online appointments. Council Member Shahana Hanif says the ID cards are a lifeline, particularly for new arrivals who don't have other forms of identification.

Council Member Shahana Hanif: No matter what you do, New York City, we have protections. We have sources of identification that guarantee, no matter when you came, how long you've been here, who you are, you have an identity.

Janae Pierre: The city has issued more than two million ID NYC cards since the program's launch in 2015. A case of measles has been reported in an unvaccinated child under five in Suffolk County. New York's Department of Health says it's the third case identified in the state this year. The other two were in New York City. Another three have been recorded in New Jersey since January. Measles is a highly contagious and serious respiratory disease that can cause rash and fever. Officials say anyone who visited the Cohen Children's Medical Center, specifically the emergency and pediatric floors on March 3rd through 6th, has potentially been exposed. There's still more data to unpack about health in our area. After the break, we discuss maternal mortality rates in the Bronx. Stick around for the conversation. [music]

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Janae Pierre: The Bronx has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the city. That's according to recent data from the Health Department. My colleague Sean Carlson talked with Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, who is pushing for more birthing centers to open in her area.

Sean Carlson: Before we get into those birthing centers, can you just set the scene for us about the state of maternal health in the Bronx as it compares to the rest of the city's boroughs?

Vanessa Gibson: Sure. The state of maternal health is a critical one in the Bronx. It's a call to action and attention. Black women are 9.2 times more likely to die during childbirth because of pregnancy-related complications. Latina women are not far behind. We've seen far too many women of color be denied access to maternal health and prenatal and postnatal care because of their insurance, their documentation, language challenges. We really are amplifying the voices of so many of our women and birthing individuals and calling attention to the fact that maternal mortality and morbidity is the highest in the Bronx.

Sean Carlson: Let's talk more about some of those stories. What are mothers in the Bronx telling you about what's unique to them and their circumstances in the borough?

Vanessa Gibson: I think what Black and Latina women are saying is that we have very unique challenges and experiences as we are facing the beautiful blessing of giving birth. We want the same level of care as anyone else. We want to level the playing field when it comes to equity and fairness and birth justice. Too many Black and Latino women are told that because of their age, that they have to have a C-section. They're not given access to prenatal care and all of the services that we know that many other women are getting when you talk about wraparound services and patient-centered care with a real cultural sensitivity to their unique needs.

Janae Pierre: What options do mothers in the Bronx have to choose from when it comes to maternal health care, both before and after birth?

Vanessa Gibson: What we are doing, and I'm glad you asked that question, our effort to level the playing field is to make sure that prenatal and postnatal care is covered by Medicaid, which it now is. As a result of Governor Hochul's leadership, we are creating a doula directory with the New York State Department of Health so that so many women can access services. A lot of this is education and outreach. It is making sure that we reach out to communities in need and we give them information where they understand what they have access to.

So many women are not given a fair opportunity when it comes to birthing options. When you look at the work that's happening at the Maryam Reproductive Health and Wellness Clinic that's in Norwood, they're doing just that. They're doing acupuncture, they're doing wraparound services, they're doing group therapy sessions. Too many of our women have faced discrimination in the healthcare industry. When we say birth justice, it's because Bronx mothers matter, Bronx babies matter. We believe that with the opening of a birthing center, we're really going to level the playing field and give women options just like everyone else.

Sean Carlson: Right now, there are only two birthing centers in the city. Both of those are in Brooklyn. You released a birthing center report calling on more to open in the Bronx. Can you just talk about what's different between a birthing center and a hospital and why it is important to have a birthing center in the Bronx?

Vanessa Gibson: It's so important to have it. Let me recognize that back in 1988, the first birthing center in New York City opened in the Bronx. It was called the Childbearing Center of Morris Heights. It was open for over 20 years, and it closed. Our birthing report is really to call attention to the issue, to the disparity, to how this disproportionately affects Black and Latino women.

Also, what services are you getting at a birthing center? You're getting a birth worker, you're getting a doula, you're getting a midwife, you're getting a level of compassionate care that is attuned to your needs. When they come to us and say they're having issues, they're struggling with depression, anxiety, all the things that we know new mothers face, there is a space for them to express themselves with no judgment. That's what birthing centers provide. We're going to right this wrong. We're going to open a birthing center and level the playing field for women and all birthing individuals.

Sean Carlson: You talk about righting that wrong. What are your recommendations to getting a birthing center in the Bronx?

Vanessa Gibson: Our recommendations are identifying a space, and then obviously, the necessary capital to build out that space, the hiring of staff. One of the things that we have been successful in doing is working with incredible advocates like Myla Flores, who is a licensed doula in the Bronx. She works out of the Maryam Clinic today in Norwood. Two years ago, she rolled out a Womb Bus, which is mobile services that provides free sonograms. It helps a lot of women in our borough. We're meeting clients where they are. We don't assume they'll always come to us because many of them are fearful. It's a challenging time.

Then I also want to lift up the men, the men that are in these conversations that are supporting us. Making sure that we recognize the important role of fathers is really critical to this work as well. Our message is one of equity, fairness, and justice. This is about making sure that we address systemic racism in the healthcare industry. The Bronx deserves a birthing center for all the reasons we've talked about and sadly, for all the pain and trauma and unfortunate deaths that we've had in the Bronx.

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Janae Pierre: That's Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson talking with my colleague, Sean Carlson. New York City public schools are marking Civics Week. All week long, students are focusing on the theme Democracy Begins Here with projects that encourage them to use their voices to advocate for changes in their communities. As part of the curriculum, students were invited to submit soapbox speeches on issues they care about. Here's fifth grader Damon Huds from P.S. 384 in Long Island City, Queens.

Damon Huds: Today, I'm talking to you about helpful or kind ways to address a stutter. Everyone has something that makes them special. My special thing is that I have a stutter when I speak. I'm not alone. Over 3 million Americans and 80 million people worldwide stutter. That's 1% of adults and 5% of children.

Despite decades of research, there are no clear-cut answers to the causes of stuttering, but it's not caused by nervousness. Sometimes when someone stutters over a word, you think it's best to tell them to slow down or finish their their words for them. It's not. It doesn't help. It actually kind of hurts. People who stutter have no control over if and when it happens. If someone was talking normally, you wouldn't finish their sentence, would you? It's not a crime to finish someone's sentence. We all do it sometimes, but it is kind of rude.

To people who stutter, this happens all the time, and the effect it can have is worse than rude. It actually reduces our voices, makes us reluctant to speak up or share our stories. As a stutterer, I can tell you from experience the most helpful and kind way to speak to a stutter is to give them time to speak. Don't rush them. Let them finish what they're saying, understand that they cannot predict or control their stutter, and they'll appreciate you giving them enough time to speak.

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Janae Pierre: That's fifth grader Damon Huds from P.S. 384 in Long Island City, Queens. Thanks for listening to NYC Now from WNYC. I'm Janae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.

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