In The News
This past week, we had two exciting opportunities to share our mission, which were featured within local broadcasts.
Press Conference with Senator Gillibrand:
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand speaking to press
The first was a visit from U.S. Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, N.Y. State Senator Samra Brouk, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, and several other prominent leaders in the state and community. Senator Gillibrand, in a press conferences hosted at His Branches on Monday, January 24, stated, "Pregnancy and childbirth, which should be one of the most special moments in a person's life, too often ends in tragedy, especially for black women and their families. Black women are up to 3x more likely to die from pregnancy- related complications than white women.” Gillibrand and her colleagues are addressing the issues surrounding black maternal health and the unreasonably high maternal death rate among minorities, especially black mothers. More about this campaign can be found HERE.
Rochester Mayor, Malik Evans, added, "The numbers are bad all across the board for African American women, even when controlled for income. That tells you there is a crisis here as it relates to black women and black maternal health. So if you're a white male or African American male, this matters. Because these are the future lives we are losing as a result of these unnecessary deaths taking place on a regular basis. These numbers should be alarming for the richest most powerful country in the world."
Malik Evans, Rochester Mayor
Mike Weston, Executive Director His Branches
His Branches Executive Director, Mike Weston, shared, “To many, these numbers are just facts. Tidbits of information. But to the staff of His Branches, these are names of the patients who are here at our office.”
You can watch the news footage HERE.
(Left to right): Mike Weston (His Branches Executive Director), Samra Brouk (N.Y. State Senator), Sarah Clark (Assemblywoman), Kirsten Gillibrand (U.S. Senator), Malik Evans (Rochester Mayor), Rose Bonnick (Community Affairs Coordinator, Sen. Jeremy Cooney)
Featured on Many Voices, Many Visions:
Our team also had the opportunity to share on WHAM-13’s segment, Many Voices, Many Visions. Our Medical Director, Ali Reeves, and Executive Director, Mike Weston, sat down with Alexis Arnold to share how His Branches is working in the community to provide hope, healing and restoration, how the pandemic has impacted our organization and the community, and how people can get connected and involved.
You can watch the full news segment, featured on Sunday, January 30, 2022, HERE.
