The Uplifting Birth Equity Maternal Health Hub initiative is up and running inside Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.  

New and expecting mothers can go there to get paired with appropriate programs to meet their needs during and post-pregnancy.  

Those services include in-home support, doulas, primary care and mental health services.

Nearly 50% of the women who give birth at Niagara Falls Memorial identify as Black or people of color. 

The team there will identify racial disparities in maternal health care while working to improve racial health equity.

"We know that in New York state, Black women are dying at five times more the rate than white women from pregnancy-related conditions, and that is not acceptable," said Eileen Kineke, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. "And that is one of the goals of this program, to reduce those factors." 

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center is the only hospital in Niagara County that offers labor and delivery services.