On the heels of Black Maternal Health Week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, in partnership with the Department of Employment Services (DOES) and the DOES Office of Paid Family Leave (OPFL), held the fifth annual DC Citywide Baby Shower on Saturday, April 26 at Capital Turnaround in Southeast D.C.
As many people in D.C. and the nation grapple with financial uncertainty due to government furloughs, higher tariffs, and economic disparities, the free fair offered giveaways, activities and educational sessions to raise community awareness about local resources available to empower parents and families across the District.
“We make certain that we bring our actual benefit education team here, so that individuals know that maternity leave benefits are available to D.C. workers,” Monnikka Madison, deputy director of the Bureau of Economic Stability and Benefits at DOES, told the Informer. “We want to get to communities like Ward 8, where we see the utilization rate is a little lower than other communities.”
The local event presented a bevy of free gifts and fun games, along with instructive sessions for expectant parents including financial workshops with M&T Bank, prenatal yoga, baby CPR training with D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department, an introduction to baby American Sign Language (ASL) workshop, and more.
Those residing east of the Anacostia River have long endured the consequences of living amid a health care desert, lacking full-service medical facilities and quality maternal care. While the opening of the new Cedar Hill in Ward 7, has brought hope to an area whose residents have long faced disparities, events such as the Citywide Baby Shower, further Bowser and DOES’ mission of to address inequities.
According to a report released by the National Center for Health Statistics, published on Feb. 5, in Washington, D.C., the maternal health crisis is severe, with Black birthing people making up 90% of all birth-related deaths in recent years, according to a city-supported review committee.
Further, Wards 7 and 8, which have the city’s highest concentration of Black residents, accounted for 70% of all pregnancy-associated deaths.
Madison emphasized DOES’ dedication to bringing resources to Wards 7 and 8 as a means to dissolve the wall of paperwork and other barriers that often block families from accessing the care they need.
“This is the fifth year that we’ve had this event, and each year it gets larger and larger. Each year we’ve been able to determine more of a need, and in this particular climate that we’re currently in, we want to ensure that we have access to those resources needed for families within our communities,” Madison said.
Local Families Seek Resources: ‘The District Needs to Do Better for Southeast Residents‘
Expecting mothers like Dora Palmer, 38, felt compelled to attend the event after notification from her obstetrician gynecologist, encouraging her and her partner to familiarize themselves with the resources offered.
Residing in Ward 8, Palmer has access to reliable transportation – a convenience she emphasized many of her neighboring families do not have the luxury of when in need of medical services.
“[This event] is helpful for new moms, but I’m coming from the Congress Heights side of Ward 8,” Palmer told The Informer. “If you don’t drive or if you’re not familiar with how to get here [through public transportation], you’ll have a hard time.”
Similarly, Makayla Phillips, 23, is also preparing for the birth of her first baby in July. She said that the event introduced her to a number of critical resources provided in the District, recalling the most impactful being the Far Southeast Family Collaborative.
Despite sentiments that “the District needs to do better for Southeast residents,” she said the Citywide Baby Shower was a meaningful event for her and her family.
As she lamented that many D.C. families need access to helpful tools in order to thrive, her brother Rondo Phillips chimed in, adding “It’s terrible.”
“They need to start doing more for Ward 8 residents,” he said. “They don’t look out for Ward 8, they only look out for other wards.”
Building Newfound Trust in an Often Forgotten Community
While many are working toward health equity across Wards 7 and 8, local events like the DC Citywide Baby Shower are critical to connecting families with health care services that maintain trusted relationships with the residents they serve.
Despite the opening of the new Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health, the Phillips family says that the community needs time to see solid improvement and support in health care services before they can feel comfortable to rely on their services.
“I’m having my baby at MedStar. [Cedar Hill] is a new experience, and I don’t know anybody who’s been there,” the soon-to-be-mom said.
Palmer shared a similar perspective as Phillips, noting she normally seeks health care outside of her neighborhood.
“Greater Southeast Community (more recently known as United Medical Center) is basically in my backyard. I’m 38 years old, and I visited it the one time that I went to that hospital, which was when I had a seizure,” Palmer told The Informer. “But I always bypass that area because the care over there, or the lack thereof, is not great.”
While she hopes it does well for residents, Palmer emphasized she was reticent about trying out Cedar Hill.
“Just because [a hospital] is state-of-the-art doesn’t necessarily mean anything. You’re not changing anything different by just changing the name,” she said. “You also have to consider that it’s [off of] MLK Avenue, which has a different kind of vibe. I hope that the hospital does well, but I will never visit it. I want better care. I want better treatment.”
Local Organizations Address Inequities East of the Anacostia River
Several prominent District organizations were in attendance, engaging community members with various programs and resources aimed to bolster health outcomes for families, including those residing in some of the most underserved parts of the city.
Health advocates like Edward Hardy, community engagement coordinator at Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, underscored the need for consistent availability of programs, along with easy accessibility for families in need.
He identified childcare and transportation as significant challenges for parents raising children east of the Anacostia River.
“Parents have to get to work,” said Hardy. “They have got to get their kids to school, and sometimes public transportation is not the best situation.”
Similarly, Daryle Morgan, program manager at A Wider Circle, a local organization present in the Highlands neighborhood of Ward 8, works to address the root causes of poverty across the District, providing numerous programs including free mental health services, recovery groups, food pantries, and more.
While working with Ward 8 families, Morgan attributes some of the area’s most prevalent health challenges to food insecurity, employment, and housing insecurity.
He emphasized the scarcity of housing support for males in the District as a major barrier for men and fathers alike, often preventing their ability to maintain custodial rights to their children.
“The hardest thing in this town right now is to house a single man [that is] without a disability,” Morgan explained. “Personally, I think it is expected that a man can get up and go get it himself without the assistance, so they often get knocked down.”
Working to fill the health gaps and trust among Ward 7 and 8 residents, Mary’s Center, which provides primary health care and wrap-around services, is offering both onsite and outpatient health and family care east of the Anacostia River.
During the event, Mary’s Center’s Magali Ceballos discussed the tools that the District health clinic has for residents in need of close and easy access to health care services, such as the “Home Visiting Program,” which connects families to resources and support workers, including doulas and nurses, without requiring mothers and families to leave their residences.
“[Our] programs focus on child development, parent-child attachment, and father-child attachment, ensuring parents have the tools and support they need,” Ceballos told the Informer. “These programs are really intended for [providing] one-on-one care. People are literally letting us into not just their house, but their lives, and so we want to make sure that we have that trust and that they jive with their family support worker and are getting what they need out of the program.”
Ceballos shared that the program, now in its third year, is offered free of charge to District residents and funded by various sources, emphasizing the importance of advocacy to sustain these vital services.
“We know that there’s so many systemic issues with the health care system. So, when you may have a provider that doesn’t have enough time, resources, or, quite frankly, the want to reassure someone that everything’s okay, you have this registered nurse who is able to talk you through what’s going on, escalate as needed, and address as needed,” Ceballos said. “It makes a world of a difference in outcomes.”