CLEVELAND — A documentary highlighting the United State's maternal mortality crisis and the work being done to address it won the prestigious "Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award" at the 2024 Cleveland International Film Festival.
"American Delivery" features MetroHealth President and CEO Airica Steed. In the film, Dr. Steed shares her own experiences with inadequate care while she was pregnant.
Good Morning Cleveland anchor Tiffany Tarpley spoke with Dr. Steed about how she experienced preeclampsia during both of her pregnancies.
"When I felt concerned, I did raise my hand and I did speak up," said Steed. "Those concerns were pushed back to a point where I question my own integrity of my voice."
According to the CDC, Black women are three times more likely than other women to die from pregnancy-related causes. Cuyahoga County has one of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality for black women and babies in the United States.
Steed said MetroHealth is working to change that with the Nurse-Family Partnership. The program, which is also featured in the documentary "American Delivery," pairs nurses with pregnant patients until their child's second birthday.
"The nurse actually follows the mom until the the the child is born and then provides key resources, key interventions," said Steed. "We have an opportunity to catch well before a concern bubbles up into an emergent situation."
For more information, visit www.americandelivery.film.
