LAWRENCE — In Douglas County, the rate of babies born at a low birthweight is twice as high among Black mothers than those of all other racial groups, according to the Douglas County Health Equity Report.
The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department and a group of community partners are leading a series of focus groups, Advancing Black Maternal Child Health, as a step to work together in moving toward eliminating these disparities in Black maternal and infant health. Low birthweight of a baby can be a potential risk factor for negative health outcomes.
“There is a significant amount of research that exposes underlying systemic rationale for this disparity. We are not wanting to dispute those findings but want to lift up the experiences of women in Douglas County to better tell the story from a local perspective,” said Jenn Preston, Support Services Supervisor for the Health Department.
The focus groups are part of an initiative through the Maternal and Child Health Equity project through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Two coming focus group conversations will include mothers to share their experiences of having a baby with low birth weight. Mothers of infants born at less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces are welcome to join the discussion.
Two different focus group discussions will be 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 28, at the Sunrise Project, 1501 Learnard Ave., in Lawrence, and 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 1, also at the Sunrise Project.
Alex Kimball Williams will facilitate the focus group discussions.
Childcare, food and transportation support will be provided for participants. And mothers will receive a $50 gift for their child provided as compensation for their time.
To RSVP contact Jenn Preston at jpreston@ldchealth.org or 785-856-5336 for more information.
Community partners in the effort include LMH Health, the University of Kansas, Lawrence Ob-Gyn Specialist and the Sunrise Project.