“Regardless of income level, regardless of education level, Black women, Native women, women who live in rural areas are more likely to die or be left scared or scarred from an experience that should be safe and should be a joyful one.”
– Vice President Harris

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among economically developed countries. According to the CDC, hundreds of women in the U.S die each year as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications, these results highlight considerable racial disparities showing that Black or African American women are three to four times most likely to die than their White or Caucasian counterparts; and American Indian and Alaska Native women are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications.

These disparities are also being highlighted at the local level, according to The Women’s Fund’s Gender Equity Dashboard, Black or African American women have the highest maternal mortality and infant mortality rates in Miami-Dade County. Additionally, Black or African American women also have the lowest adequate prenatal care at 69.3 per 100,000 people in Miami-Dade County.

The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade supports this Miami-Dade Commission for Women CEDAW Recommendation:

The Miami-Dade County Commission for Women and its CEDAW committee recommend that the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners (BCC) call a meeting with the Public Health Trust to create a public five-year plan within one year to lower Black Maternal Mortality and Black Infant Mortality rate in our county (specifically Jackson System). The County-wide rate of 10.8 (BIM) must be lowered to a rate of 3.5 which is between 3.1 (white mothers) and 3.9 (Hispanic mothers).

We must turn our attention and resources to addressing this public health crisis. this event took place via Zoom Webinar on September 1st from 9:00 am – 10:30 am as we learn from experts about what we can do to ameliorate these disparities and re-build a health care system that is equitable and safe for all mothers regardless of their race, background or economic status.

Keynote Speaker

Panelists

 Joanne Ruggiero, MSN, MA, NE-BC, CMSRN, is senior vice president and chief executive officer of Holtz Children’s Hospital and The Women’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial, a 379-bed hospital for complex obstetrical, gynecologic, gynecologic oncology, and pediatric patients, including those in the world-renowned, 126-bed newborn neonatal intensive care unit at Holtz Children’s. 

Ms. Ruggiero is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations at Holtz Children’s & The Women’s Hospital, one of the largest and most respected hospitals of its kind in the southeastern United States. She joined Jackson in 2021 as chief nursing and chief operating officer of Holtz Children’s and The Women’s Hospital, and was named as its CEO less than a year later. During her tenure at Jackson, Ms. Ruggiero has proven to be an advocate for health equity and best practices in both pediatrics and maternal health. Because of her experience working as a frontline nurse, she has a keen understanding of the field’s challenges and demands, and has made staff engagement and workforce development a priority. Ms. Ruggiero works closely with physician leadership at the University of Miami Health System to ensure that Holtz Children’s and The Women’s Hospital remain uniquely positioned to provide every medical specialty to its diverse patient population, with a focus on growth and innovation. 

Ms. Ruggiero began her career in 2005 as a bedside nurse at Pennsylvania Hospital – Penn Medicine. She moved into nursing leadership seven years later, where she led her team to many achievements, including a push that resulted in one-third of her nursing staff pursuing higher education degrees and was a key stakeholder in the organizations first Magnet designation. As clinical director of the Women’s Health Department at Pennsylvania Hospital, she established a patient safety program and led her team to the second magnet certification. She later became the hospital’s interim chief nursing officer. 

Ms. Ruggiero is in the process of completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice at Liberty University in Virginia and recently began the University of Miami’s MBA program in health management and policy. She also has a Master of Arts in leadership and theology from Liberty University, a Master of Science in nursing from Walden University in Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from LaSalle University in Pennsylvania. 

Jennifer Ulysse joined The Children’s Trust in 2019. Ms. Ulysse earned a Master of Public Health from Nova Southeastern University, with a special focus in Maternal/Child Health & Epidemiology. In addition, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Miami.

While obtaining her Master’s degree, Ms. Ulysse completed an internship with the Florida Department of Health in Broward County, where she collaborated on a research project to evaluate and address gaps in adherence to perinatal hepatitis B prevention measures among healthcare providers. She also has served as a project navigator for the Broward Healthy Start Coalition on an initiative titled “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait,” funded by the March of Dimes. As project navigator, she actively led efforts to promote birth equity and improve the preterm birth rate among vulnerable populations.

Ms. Ulysse is passionate about advancing the health and overall well-being of children and families through acknowledging both the physical and social determinants contributing to an individual’s unique life experience.

Dr. Rokeshia Renné Ashley is a Miami native and mother to her daughter, Emery. Dr. Ashley is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Florida International University. She is a highly productive scholar whose research on Black women’s bodies and Black maternal health has been published in several books and journals, such as Communication, Culture & Critique; The Howard Journal of Communications; Health Communication; and Journal of Black Studies. Dr. Ashley’s research has been featured by The Washington Post, Psychology Today, The Miami Times, National Public Radio’s Academic Minute, The Conversation, Yahoo! News, Black Enterprise, Tavis Smiley’s KBLA 1580 am, Areva Martin’s The Special Report, Allure Magazine and more; collectively over 60 million readers across varying platforms. To broaden the impact of her work, Dr. Ashley published the children’s book SunFlower Child in 2020. Born from her original research conducted in Miami Dade and Broward counties, the book provides a remedy for colorism and color caste systems to encourage Black and Brown girls to love, care for, and protect their skin. It also features illustrations inspired by landmark spaces in Miami, specifically Little Haiti and Liberty City.

Dr. Ashley has presented numerous papers at academic conferences like the International Communication Association, National Communication Association (NCA), National Association of African American Studies conferences and have accepted a university invitation to speak about her research in South Africa. She is an awardee for the Florida Education Fund’s Junior Faculty Fellowship, FIU’s Miami Studies Fellowship, NCA Research Cultivation Grant, Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel TRIO Achiever, University of Missouri Trailblazer Award, and FIU Presidential Leadership Program participant.

Fernanda M. Kuchkarian

Fernanda Kuchkarian, MPH supports the development, management and evaluation of the Foundation’s grantmaking. She works with the Foundation’s leadership to help develop and implement strategic goals, and to assure programs and activities are aligned with the organization’s mission, vision and guiding principles. She joined the Foundation in 2015 as a Program Officer overseeing investments in primary care and behavioral health. Kuchkarian began her career at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she worked for 11 years on various public health initiatives, most notably implementing a telehealth research program at the world-renowned Ryder Trauma Center. She also consulted with a start-up telehealth company to provide specialty tele-consultations and education to remote civilian and government medical facilities. A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Kuchkarian has lived in South Florida for more than 30 years. She holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as well as a business certificate from the School of Business Administration.