New labor and delivery center to address Black maternal health crisis in Prince George's

A $300 million project could make a huge difference for expectant mothers and new mothers in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Eight out of 10 women in Prince George’s County leave the county to deliver their babies, according to Luminis Health.

Jackie Key of Brandywine, Maryland, says her delivery care facility option were far from her home.

“Washington, D.C., to Sibley Hospital, and then my second one, I had to travel to Germantown,” she said.  

She said she and many others are forced to make long drives and tough decisions to get the care they want and deserve.

“I think it’s absolutely insane given the wealth that’s in the county,” Key said.

Maryland’s Health Care Commission approved Luminis Health’s plan for a women’s health pavilion. The expansion project will create private labor and post-delivery suites; dedicated cesarean-section operating rooms; a special care nursery; and access to family planning, mental health care and maternal care support.

Providing a comfortable delivery experience is a medical priority, Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center President Deneen Richmond said.

“To have that care delivered in a culturally sensitive matter, to have people listen to you, and to understand what women of color particularly are going through in their pregnancy, during their delivery,” she said.

Prince George’s County Council member Krystal Oriadha helped pass legislation addressing Black maternal health in the county.

“The numbers aren’t really good in Prince George’s County when it comes to maternal health,” she said.

She too had to leave to give birth.

“I ended up delivering in Anne Arundel because I didn’t have the ability to deliver in the county, so, because of my health provider, they had no options for me to give birth in Prince George’s County,” Oriadha said.

Luminis Health expects to open the facility in Lanham in 2028 with a goal to deliver 2,000 babies during the first year.