Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - ST

John's riverside hospital (SJRH) in yonkers, NY seeks $990,000 in federal congressionally directed spending (CDS) from the department of health and human services (DHHS) to support a community-driven effort to address racial inequities in health outcomes in our maternity department. This grant funding will be used to create safe and culturally appropriate labor and delivery spaces supporting black maternal and child health. Specifically, this grant will fund renovations to our existing labor and delivery space to enhance and support culturally appropriate care for black birthing women. The additional labor and delivery (L & D) room will support natural, physiologic birth through incorporation of equipment that will allow movement for the birthing person, have a birthing bar, balls, and peanuts. This newly renovated, culturally relevant birthing space will serve as the cornerstone of SJRH's commitment to dispelling racial inequities in treatment within our facility. The project is designed and conducted in collaboration with black community members with expertise in black maternal health and will raise the voices of black birthing people to address potential inequities in project design and implementation. This project will fully renovate approximately 1,305 total square feet of space to create safe and culturally appropriate labor and birthing areas supporting black maternal and child health. This will include renovation to add one additional labor & delivery suite (including bathroom) outfitted to provide negative pressure to assure that birthing people with covid can deliver safely, a new recovery room, expansion of the existing nurses' station to assure that the multidisciplinary treatment team can work together and be close to the area where birthing people are delivering, and a new break room for staff. In addition, this project will 'refresh' 1,100 feet of corridor space adjacent to this area to assure IT is welcoming to our black birthing people and their families and community supporters. SJRH is the only maternity services provider in yonkers, NY's 3RD largest city. SJRH is a new york state-recognized dipropionate share provider and a financially distressed hospital. We provide millions of dollars annually in uncompensated care and 67% of our maternity services are delivered to women on medicaid or medicaid managed care.