Black Birth Expo takes place at August Wilson Center

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - To celebrate Black Maternal Week, a local program hosted a Black Birth Expo on Saturday.

Healthy Start, a free program for pregnant women and families with children, hosted the event at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center.

The event focused on educating expectant and new parents on preparing for birth, postpartum, and parenthood.

"The education that we do in [the] community is focused on raising awareness around healthy pregnancy and the resources that are out there to support healthy pregnancy and really bringing attention to the disparities that Black women face in their care and in their childbirth outcomes," Healthy Start CEO Jada Shirriel said.

The goal of Healthy Start is to lower risk factors associated with pre-term birth, low birth weight, infant mortality, and poor developmental outcomes.