Leah Bishop, senior and president of the Public Health Student Organization (PHSO) at Xavier, arranged a virtual engagement panel that discussed maternal and child health and policy on January 25. Mariama Drammeh, a student intern at the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC) and senior at Tulane University, assisted Bishop. Both acted as co-moderators. Bishop is a student intern at the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies of New Orleans (IWES NOLA).  

“I believe maternal and child health to be of the highest importance because of how far we have to go in the work,” said Bishop. “Reproductive justice is justice for women, men, and children, and this is how I intend to contribute to the promotion of a more just and humane society through leadership and service.” 

The event jointly hosted by IWES NOLA and NBEC aimed to educate college-age students and other participants about pertinent maternal and child health challenges faced by black and brown communities and the policies that affect them. Both organizations are part of the MAMA+ Health Policy Workgroup, a state and local policy-focused initiative that seeks to close the birthing gap for Black people. Currently, Louisiana has the second-highest infant mortality rate in the country. This rate and maternal mortality rates are especially high among mothers of color. 

“Some people don’t even have proper maternal health care facilities in their area, which can also contribute to their morbidity or mortality,” Bishop said.  

Bishop credits the support and assistance from her IWES supervisor, Meshawn Tarver (‘99), as a cornerstone in the organization of the panel. Wanting to create longevity and impact, Bishop and Tarver put together a directive “package” for students at Xavier and other universities to use as a guide for organizing their own similar panels.  

“Growing up I thought wanted to be an OBGYN and help disparities through the medical field and science, but I want to cater to the masses and help as many women as I can better their health,” said Bishop, who plans to go to law school and take an active role in health policy change after graduation. “I want to be someone affecting change through policy. I didn’t want to put just a Band-Aid over a deep wound- systemic inequity needs fixing at the source.” 

Tarver, an alumna of Xavier, is the senior program manager for maternal and child health at IWES and provided the introductory speech of the event.  

Among the five panelists, which included policymakers, attorneys, and an expert in women’s and labor health, three were Xavier alums: Louisiana State Representative Royce Duplessis (‘04), Senior Site Lead and Section Head of Women’s Services at Ochsner Health, Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell (‘00), and Adjunct Professor of Constitutional Law at Xavier and Attorney at McKee Law Firm, L.L.C., Randy McKee, J.D. (‘91). The other two speakers were Tennessee State Representative London Lamar and Health Policy Advocate Kameron Dawson, J.D. 

Dr. Gillispie-Bell, who is also the Medical Director of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC) and Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) for the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), explained how data compiled by PAMR helps guide LaPQC and LDH policies regarding maternal health.  

“In reviewing the deaths, we see that women [and all] birthing persons are not getting to the right level of facility based on the risk they have,” said Dr. Gillispie-Bell. “So, we know from data that if you have a high-risk condition and you go to a low acuity facility, if that facility is not prepared, you have a higher rate of maternal mortality.”   

To rectify this, Dr. Gillispie-Bell explained that LaPQC has been working with their birthing facilities to implement best practices. Further reviews revealed that the maternal care system in the state of Louisiana was also outdated. Under the LDH, Dr. Gillispie-Bell led a specialized committee to upgrade maternal levels of care. Dr. Gillispie-Bell also acted as a representative during the first-ever White House Maternal Health Call to Action Summit, led by Vice President Kamala Harris in December.  

Other issues discussed during the panel Tuesday included social determinants of health, early childhood support and education, maternal and paternal leave, and maternal health research.  

“If we are going to truly improve maternal morbidity and maternal mortality, we have to address it on all fronts,” said Dr. Gillispie-Bell. 

Beyond educating students on maternal and child health issues and related policy, Drammeh put together and presented information about the process of enacting laws and implementing any amendments to existing legislation. Drammeh and Bishop wanted to equip students with the necessary tools to engage in the legislative process beyond simply voting and inspiring advocacy for positive change to their congressional and state representatives.  

“When we have groups working together to address these particular issues, then we have more traction, more plans in place, and stronger policies,” said Dr. McKee.  

View a recording of the panel here.