Maternal Sanitation workers
morbidity
Caribbean Life, December 13-19, 2019 11
Central Brooklyn have delivered for this city,
state, and country; now, it is time we deliver
for them. That is why today, in the spirit of
Chisholm’s legacy of standing up for New
York’s women and children, I am calling for a
new, major investment in maternal and child
welfare in Central Brooklyn: the Chisholm
Chance Plan.
With the Chisholm Chance Plan, we will
make a historic investment of $60 million in the
health and wellbeing of women and children in
the epicenter of the severe maternal morbidity
crisis, Central Brooklyn, and pass legislation
that will expand the availability of maternal care
statewide. The plan has three parts.
First, we will expand an anchor of women’s
health in Brooklyn: SUNY Downstate. While
maternal mortality rates are particularly high
among black women in Brooklyn, they are
highest in the neighborhoods immediately
surrounding the SUNY Downstate campus.
Research tells us that having both a women’s
and children’s hospital in the same location
decreases instances of morbidity for both the
mother and child; it is time we expand Downstate’s
capacity so that it can meet the challenges
surrounding it.
Second, we will empower the women-ofcolor
led community based organizations
that are doing the work on the ground now.
My office recently joined with Senate Majority
Leader Stewart-Cousins to hold a roundtable
discussion with local organizations on
maternal health, and one thing was clear:
These organizations are leading the effort to
address the high rates of maternal mortality
and morbidity in our communities, but they
need a level of resources that is commensurate
to the problem. The Chisholm Chance
Plan will make much needed investments in
these groups.
Third, we need to pass legislation that will
open up pathways to more holistic maternal
care. For years, health experts have recognized
that providing mothers the support
of doulas — certified health coaches who
help women prepare for and give birth — is
an effective and cost-saving way to improve
maternal health outcomes. Yet New York’s
Medicaid rules do not allow public health dollars
to support doula services. Submitting a
Medicaid rule change to expand doula care
has the potential to improve health outcomes,
lower the cost of births, and reduce medical
complications that follow from non-essential
procedures.
If we are to reap the perennial investments
of black women, we have a duty to perennially
invest in them. That begins with a commitment
to their health and the health of their
children. What better way to show that commitment,
than real capital investment right
at the heart of the problem? If we can do it
elsewhere, why not here?
Let’s give our women and children
a Chisholm Chance at life. Let’s enact the
Chisholm Chance Plan.
Zellnor Myrie is a Democratic state senator
representing the 20th district in Brooklyn,
and is the chair of the Committee on Elections.
Continued from Page 10
fession,” he says. “When you die,
you die. You go with your bucket
and your hoe without recognition,
without leaving a trace
anywhere or a document that
shows your offspring that you
have practised such a job. When
I think of that, I’m sad. I do not
wish any of my children to do
this work I do.”
Sanitation and decent work
are both human rights, and one
human right cannot come at the
expense of another. In the push
towards achieving Sustainable
Development Goal 6 and bringing
sanitation services to everyone
by 2030, we cannot neglect
Sustainable Development Goal
8, which requires decent conditions
for all workers, including
sanitation workers.
They are central to solving
the sanitation puzzle and protecting
their rights is not just
a moral imperative, but also
the only way to build up a
workforce that is able to deliver
sanitation services at the scale
required.
National and municipal governments
need to take decisive
action and put in place urgent
measures to protect the human
rights of sanitation workers,
including laws and regulation
to eliminate manual scavenging,
recognise sanitation work
and gradually formalise it,
increasing the protection of the
workers.
For example, municipalities
can increase the use of
machines and protective equipment
so that workers are not
directly exposed to human
waste, ensure that subcontractors
keep similar standards,
and celebrate their contribution
to society.
It is also important that the
workers access training and
support to organise themselves
so that they are able to claim
their rights in a balance dialogue
with authorities.
Finally, every citizen has
some degree of responsibility
over other citizens’ rights. The
plight of sanitation workers is
in large part due to the fact that
many consider them secondclass
citizens, and many others
‘flush and forget’ what happens
down the (sewer) line.
We all need to both acknowledge
and feel outraged by the
injustice committed against
sanitation workers – and hold
to account those with the power
to address it.
Continued from Page 10
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