NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health is creating a comprehensive women’s health service program thanks to $18.5 million in capital funding from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
The Coney Island-based hospital will now offer enhanced outpatient care, labor and delivery, and post-partum recovery care, according to a press release.
Patient rooms and ancillary space will be upgraded with total family care in mind, and the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and nursery will be redesigned to accommodate the needs of families to reflect the hospital’s baby-friendly designation.
“Today’s groundbreaking is as exciting as it is urgent,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Black women in New York City are about 8 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than their white counterparts. It’s alarming, it’s unconscionable, and it’s a crisis that requires all-hands-on-deck."
The communities cared for by South Brooklyn Health see greater risks to safe pregnancy than other parts of Brooklyn, according to the press release. Over 50% of the patients are African American or Hispanic, and nearly 70% of these patients are diagnosed with a chronic illness, such as diabetes or hypertension, substance use disorder, or behavioral health conditions, which are all conditions that can place a pregnant person and her baby in danger.
South Brooklyn Health communities are growing, adding more young pregnant people who face higher risks for severe maternal mortality. Over the last several years, births at South Brooklyn Health have increased 30%, the press release said.
