Dr. Nakeitra Burse, an alum of Jackson State University ’s School of Public Health, will be featured at 10 p.m. (CDT) tonight on BET Network’s “Disrupt and Dismantle,” with the episode focusing on maternal mortality.
The show, which explores the various inequalities that African Americans face, is hosted by journalist Soledad O’Brien.
Burse, who is president of the Delta Chapter of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), said the episode will be the last in a six-part series that focuses on maternal mortality. She will talk about the work she’s doing on maternal mortality and the importance of it in Mississippi.
She said the subject is timely because the Mississippi Legislature is still in session, and Mississippi has not expanded Medicaid. “We must continue to shed light on these stories. One of the major facilitators to better health outcomes is mothers having access to insurance.”
Burse urges viewers to listen to the mothers as they tell stories in their owns words. “Hopefully they’ll be able to influence our state on a policy level and influence the community to act more to protect those mothers.”