The maternity care center in Lauderdale Lakes opened its doors to patients last May to fill a major void in services for pregnant women.
Nearly a year later, it has served about 1,700 women — a huge leap from the roughly 200 people they expected to serve in that time, according to Broward Health Corporate Transformation Executive Melida Akiti.
“ We've thought of every single barrier these women could have for them to access care in the first trimester,” Akiti said. “And our job was to reduce those barriers.”
READ MORE: New maternity care center in Lauderdale Lakes aims to reduce premature births
Research conducted by Community Care Plan, an insurer owned by Broward Health, showed that women in two zip codes of Lauderdale Lakes — 33311 and 33313 — were experiencing high rates of preterm births and infant mortality.
They began searching for potential new healthcare sites in those zip codes in 2020.
“Disparities in health outcomes are most evident in pregnancy with complications such as high blood pressure, premature delivery, and low birth weight infants,” a spokesperson for Community Care Plan wrote in an email to WLRN. “These poor outcomes were found to be associated with higher social risk such as housing and food insecurity, as well as low health literacy.”
The center has an obstetrician and other physicians on staff, childcare options and the center emphasizes cultural sensitivity and inclusivity by hiring staff that speak multiple languages including Haitian Creole and Spanish.
“ When we talk about cultural sensitivity is to make sure that women from all cultures, feel comfortable, feel inclusive in that center,” Akiti said. “ So the individuals that are providing services are from all cultures and all walks of life.”
The positive news from Lauderdale Lakes comes at a time when the latest federal data shows more women in the U.S. are dying around the time of childbirth.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 688 people died last year during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth. That’s up from 669 deaths in 2023, but down from 2022 and 2021, when it was the highest level in more than 50 years.
The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations. The rate rose to 19 deaths per 100,000 live births, up from 18.6 the year before.
The CDC counts women who die while pregnant, during childbirth and up to 42 days after birth from conditions related to pregnancy. Excessive bleeding, blood vessel blockages and infections are some of the leading causes.
Past research has found wide racial disparities in such deaths, with Black women dying at a far higher rate than white women.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
