 Good afternoon everyone My name is dr. Michelle Morris I'm the chief medical officer for the New York City Health Department and deputy commissioner for our Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness The maternal health bills that are being signed today will have expansive positive impact on health and birth equity in our city They expand awareness of vital information and services that will empower women and pregnant people To better care and advocate for their health and the well-being of their families I would now like to invite our elected officials to speak about the bills being signed and first I'd like to turn the mic over to speaker Adrienne Adams. Thank you speaker There's a platform here, thank you so much Good afternoon everyone Thank you very much for joining today's important bill signing on the council's package of maternal health legislation These are critical issues of social justice that determine the health and safety of New Yorkers, especially especially Disproportionately compromised black women and women of color I'd like to recognize all of my colleagues in government who are here today and the bill sponsors who were Instrumental in the passage of our maternal health legislative package public advocate Jumani Williams In in her absence Bronx borough president Vanessa Gibson Brooklyn borough president and Antonio Rino so city council health committee chair Lynn Shulman hospitals committee chair Mercedes Narcisse and Council members Farah Lewis Jennifer Gutierrez Crystal Hudson Julie Menon Althea Stevens Carlina Rivera Who am I missing? Oh? Jen Gutierrez The signing of the council's maternal health legislation into law Marks a significant step in our city's efforts to begin addressing this long overdue issue these bills expand access to maternal health services and address some very specific areas of maternal health services and Issues that have perpetuated health disparities for black women and other women of color They also inform New Yorkers about the importance of doulas and midwives who are fully trained in advocating for and Supporting those who are giving birth even before COVID-19 Black women and birthing people faced a severe crisis that is rooted in our country's history of racism and Discrimination these are the facts in New York City Black women are eight times more likely than white women to die from a pregnancy related cause We are three times more likely to experience severe maternal morbidity than white women and while 30 birthing people in our city die each year due to pregnancy related causes nearly 3,000 women almost die during childbirth a majority of whom are indeed women of color These disparities for black latino and indigenous people are not just horrifying and staggering They are shameful The harm that is inflicted on mother's giving birth is traumatic Time and time again. We hear stories about women not believed about the pain They're feeling or the lack of access to proper care when they need it the most These stories are not new to us Many of us know personally if we have not personally experienced these stories We've lived them and I know some of us in this room You among us have heard these stories and or experience them as well This has been an ongoing problem in New York City and across our entire country for far too long But the difference now Is the leadership of this city's first women majority new york city council This council Has prioritized taking action on this issue together with our partners in the public advocate and our borough presidents We are a council made up of mothers and grandmothers like myself Several young mothers who recently gave birth not just like myself Mothers to be And members who may not be interested in having their own children at all But i've said it before Women govern differently And we prioritize differently as well This council has demonstrated what women leadership looks like and how we focus on solutions to issues That for far too long have impacted us inequitably without government action In addition to this groundbreaking package of legislation on maternal health We passed the historic new york city abortion rights act earlier this summer that was just signed into law last month We will continue to work tirelessly to help our city recover as a safer Healthier and more equitable place for all new yorkers So i want to thank you again my colleagues All of the bill sponsors for making today's historic bill signing ceremony a reality A special thanks to our mayor eric adams for signing our bills. Thank you very much Thank you so much speaker adams for grounding us with those words Next i'd like to pass the mic to brooklyn borough president antonio reyno. So Just want to thank everyone for being here. Um, I want to keep it as positive as possible because what we're doing here today Is significant and extremely meaningful In brooklyn, it's actually higher than eight times the rate that black women die Compared to their white counterpart. I've dedicated my entire capital budget in borough hall So um outfit public hospitals in king's county woodhall hospital in coney island with state of the art birthing centers And I will make brooklyn the safest place for black women to have babies within four years my wife had both of our children in woodhall hospital and Through that I got my education a crash course and how they treat women and how women should be treated with the support of midwives and a caring centered around midwives and it's something that I think we should all be emulating We have lives that are being lost that are That are very preventable and we should have 20 cameras in this room right now for the work that this city council and this speaker has done today It is the grossest inequity that exists in our society Is maternal health and black women specifically for black women specifically there is no other Inequity that exists in our entire society where someone is more affected nine times more than any other population Nothing else. There's a very uh through race And I want to be very clear that this is a a black issue. It is a race issue This is not a poverty issue as well that we have to be mindful of it doesn't matter if you're a rich black woman Or a poor black woman your rates and opportunities to die are extremely high and unnecessary So I want to do everything in my power again to make brick in the safest place in the city Eventually the safest place in this country for us For women to have babies But I just want to say again to this council for putting this front and center Considering that these inequities have existed for centuries And it is now that we're talking about these solutions And now that we're putting forth investments and efforts to finally address what I consider the grossest inequity in our society I can't say how grateful I am to all of the women behind me that led this way And um jamani williams is also here the public advocate who just recently had a baby and I want to say that It was our duty since we've been very young to protect our women I'm in my culture specifically and I really feel like uh the work that we're doing right now as like the men that get it Uh is is going to be meaningful because this isn't a women's issue This is a societal issue that we all have to be a part of so thank you so much for having me here And don't forget to spread love is the brooklyn way. Thank you Thank you borough president rey no so thank you especially for speaking about your personal experience with midwifery Which I think all of us need to continue to learn more about and especially the power of midwifery Um, I'd like to pass the mic next to public advocate jimani williams. Thank you Thank you everybody I think i'm good Yeah, but listen, I'm going to say first I actually didn't plan this so when the mayor said that he was inside these bills My wife and I had scheduled conflicts I got to tell you i'm married to an amazing black woman. She's an attorney. I have not won a case yet so What I probably won't like this is the third or fourth time that I pleaded in my case Like I have some media stuff to do and I get that look like okay Um, so we're here and I'm happy to be with our miracle baby. I'm ony I want to thank the mayor who will hopefully be signing these bills In a short while and of course the speaker the chairs and all of uh, all of my colleagues Um, this is amazing. You know, one of the things that sticks out to me is the advocate When we had the press conference said she'd been working on this for 35 years 35 years and there has never been any legislation to address it until now And it's not lost to me that it happens when it's a majority woman council and a black woman speaker This is the importance of making sure that we have all the voices heard And I want to shout out the Women on my staff before I even knew how close this would hit They brought this to me about two or three years ago. I had no idea What was happening? What was going on had no idea how close the homer would hit And of course I shared the story with myself And india have been going through and I have to tell you even Before we got a doctor who started listening and treating my wife like she should be treated I still didn't see the comparison When they were trying to take her uterus at every turn without even understanding that she wanted to have Children and I'm standing before you today. My wife is cancer-free Beautiful miracle baby is seven months and this It's amazing But you know, I haven't shared this part But you know when when they were when she was born We were immediately told that she and my wife would have to have a blood transfusion And when you're standing there thinking about people like Shaysha Washington and Amber Isaac and the people The people who are carrying their legacy and thinking about those stories in there. It's a lot It's a lot to handle and I know how blessed we are because of how our story turned out I just can't imagine how many people we lost in those 35 years Or more that people have been working on this issue As the ball president said, this is a heinous disparity That is simply unacceptable I also can't imagine what would have happened if my wife and I couldn't take off work Without thinking about how we're going to pay the bills There were so many things that are intertwined And how black women are dying and also I remember my wife telling me She we have a beautiful 14 year old by marriage The way she was initially treated Was the same way she retreated when she was unmarried with no career And no insurance She's married with a great career great insurance and still was treated the same way It is a simple race issue and i'm proud of the legislation that we've put forward And i'm proud to be part of a letter a legislature That's going to really move this to the level needs to be understanding This is the step that probably should have happened 35 years ago But it's not going to stop here peace and blessing level light to him. Thank you so much Thank you so much to the public advocate and to your daughter for being here and to again Underlining how much racism shapes these outcomes and is completely preventable Next I'd like to pass the mic to councilmember ferrah lewis Good afternoon everyone I sure did need this right First I just because I see you here I want to thank uh speaker adrian adams because because before the overturning Of rovers wage she was already thinking about how do we combat issues with maternal health in new york city? So if we could give a quick round of applause for her leadership And I also just want to thank mayor adams as well for already thinking about the issue that we're combating in the city And that's racial disparities that black women are going through. I know in my district and council district 45 We have the highest rate of maternal mortality and morbidity and east flap bush amongst caribbean women So this issue is very very much an issue that i'm passionate about I used to be In health care before I made it into politics and I know how much we need advocates on the ground As well as city hall that will address these issues. So I just want to thank my colleagues who co-sponsors build with bills with me 482 and 409 Making sure that we're also talking about the conditions that cause maternal health issues like polycystic ovary syndrome We have a lot of women in new york city who have these conditions and when they go and meet with their doctors There's no one that could identify what the real issues are. So I just want to Thank the council for pushing this forward. Thank you public advocate for always putting Women first and thank you for our president for all that you're doing right now with birthing centers in brooklyn. Thank you Thank you so much council women fair lewis In particular for highlighting caribbean women women of caribbean descent I think it's really important that we remember how important it is to tailor Our work and our messages to communities Specifically who might be having different experiences. I want to welcome up council member jennifer gutierrez next Thank you. Good afternoon. I want to thank speaker adams for her unwavering leadership and commitment Not just as a speaker, but as a member she's truly Tied in the notion that when you elect women you get changes for women that matter at the policy level So I want to commend her for her work for her space and allowing us to pursue this I of course want to thank borough president tonio rey no so Who in many ways kind of helped me through my pregnancy? I also delivered at wood haul and I didn't think about how impactful it was That I was able to work with the midwife and that I was privileged To be a relative of a doula who was there for me when I delivered my child The experience that our public advocate shared is still truly resonates with me And I can go on and on about how beneficial these bills are at not just reminding new yorkers How valuable black women are how valuable latina women are how valuable indigenous women are But I want to drive home that the practice of midwives and doulas. It's ancestral. It's indigenous Long before we were talking about how important it is our communities were doing it already And so this package of bills validates that very indigenous practice that all of our ancestors have already done And really tie money to it tie timelines to it I'm excited to see what the report reveals at the end of next year because what we what we know And what I can anticipate is that the priority areas are going to do a lot better And that we need to invest a lot more energy and funding into ensuring that every pregnant person Has the same access to healthcare in this way So thank you once again to all my colleagues for being my partners and thank you for my mentors And of course our speaker for for allowing us this space to get these bills finally passed Thank you so much councilmember Gutierrez and thank you again for underlining Indigenous practices as a part of this work next up. I'd like to welcome councilmember crystal Hudson Good afternoon, and thank you. I just want to reiterate what everyone has said and to commend the the men in the room who are standing with us As uh, borough president rey nosa said the men who get it But the the sad truth is that there aren't enough who do And it's always women who are fighting for women and black women who are fighting for black women and women of color Who are fighting for ourselves? And we need more people to understand That at all of these intersections it takes all of us to advocate For each and every one of us particularly those of us who are most disproportionately impacted by something like maternal mortality I launched a black agenda from new york city last year when I was running for city council and it got no shine no love because it's talking about black people and You know, I'm really proud of the fact that this bill that's the bill that uh, I Sponsored that's in this package is the first bill that I've passed and is a direct result of the black agenda for new york city And I know that when black people thrive all people thrive And I want to keep talking about black people and and like we've heard here today Black women and black birthing people are the people who are literally dying regardless of Health health care status regardless of income status. It is literally an issue of racism And so if we don't continue to talk about black people uplift black people and advocate specifically for black people That none of us is going to be okay. So um, thank you It's a it's a true honor to be here and thank you to everyone For championing this package of bills including the speaker the mayor the public advocate The borough president. Um, thank you Thank you so much councilmember crystal hudson. Um next up. I'd like to welcome councilmember julie menon Thank you so much. I first of all want to thank our speaker for her incredible dedication and commitment to Putting forth this legislative package and assisting all of us in getting these bills through And I also want to thank dr. Vassan who's going to be tasked with Basically implementing a lot of these incredibly important measures And I also want to acknowledge our health committee chair lynn schulman So i'm incredibly proud today to stand along with my colleagues And I want to commend them on their incredible bills as the mayor signed several important bills today including My legislation intro 490 this bill would direct the department of health and mental hygiene to provide sexual and reproductive health services And conduct research on such health disparities within the city We can't sit idly by as our daughters all across the nation literally have less rights than we do and that we did By codifying abortion and family planning services as well as counseling testing for hiv sexually transmitted infections Particularly for individuals without health insurance We can ensure new york city is a beacon for all women across the nation It's critical that our city prepares for the next wave of individuals with safe and accessible sexual and reproductive services And this bill that i'm discussing 490 requires a department of health to do just that I'm grateful to stand alongside the mayor at today's bill signing as we stand up and protect the rights of women when the supreme court did not New york is going to continue to remain a leader for abortion access and health access for women. Thank you Thank you so much councilmember menon and next up we have councilmember althea stevens So when you speak last you you they already said a president everyone was already thanked and all those things so I can just jump right into it But one of the things I just wanted to say that I think is really important is that this is one of my first bills that i'm passing And two years ago when I first started to run My little sister's best friend passed away A few hours after giving birth So it's not lost on me that today. I'm standing here. That's really going to save lives I'm a young a young son is growing up without his mom because We did not have this information access to maternal health care So today i'm just honored to be here and making sure that the lives that have been lost Are being honored as we sign these bills into law And that's what I really want us to remember and really think about because today i'm standing here for Tiffany who passed away Because we did not put this in place before but now with the majority women as you guys know We don't just put in legislation. We also think about how do we do this holistically? Which is why this is a package of bills and not just one bill and so those things are so important and so thank you Mayor speaker adams public advocate and the borough presidents for starting this and now we're here to finish it off So thank you guys all today appreciated Thank you. Thank you. And I just I believe all the important notes have been said I want to thank the speaker And the amazing team of lawmakers Who are playing such an important role we all talked about it over and over again About how important it is to deal with the disparities around paternal health and some of the challenges and Bronx borough president venice gibson Brooklyn borough president tonio rinoso. Thank you for what you're doing in brooklyn Around investing just about all of your capital dollars around this topic and making your your legacy and public advocate Shimani williams the three of us are part of the men who gets it cork cork is we understand we need to be here and be supported Councilwoman farrow louis louis uh councilmember christel huttson councilmember julie Menon councilwoman jennifer Can I always get your name but your name gutierrez? Thank you uh, athea stevens lindshulman misediz nazi's a former nurse this entire team And so it's really not much more. I can say but just allow my pen to sign the bills intro 86 dash a for nine dash a 472 dash a 478 dash a for 82 dash a for 90 dash a Of 500 dash a great work coming together to make this happen and thank you for doing this Everybody I think on the other side Everyone has again It's okay. So in those There are bills For An 86 dash a 472 dash a For 78 dash a 42 dash a 49 dash a 509 dash a