Kate Morrow and Frankie Robertson join Marjy Marj for a conversation about the health of mothers and babies
About Kate
Kate Morrow has worked in healthcare non-profit management, marketing and fundraising for over 15 years. After the birth of her twins at 28 weeks gestation, who spent 76 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Kate knew more needed to be done to combat many of the challenges she witnessed for mothers of critically ill children. She has combined both her personal experience and professional expertise to be a true advocate for premature births, birth trauma, and high-risk mothers.
Today, Kate supports the local and statewide March of Dimes Chapters and is also involved at the national level. In 2019, her family served as the March of Dimes Ambassador family and she was one of hundreds of women chosen to be an inaugural Gretch Carlson Fellow for the national March of Dimes. Her fellowship project was focused on maternal mental health, specifically, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, faced by mothers after critical or lengthy hospital stay for their child. Her most notable moment was having May 1 established as South Carolina Healthy Mother's Day; with a proclamation signed by Governor Henry McMaster in 2019. Kate feels strongly that mothers need to be mentally healthy to take care of the physical needs of their premature and critically ill children.
Additionally, Kate is involved in the PRISMA-Midlands Foundation as an advocate and also supports the hospital system through a new role on the NICU Family Advisory Council. She works tirelessly to improve outcomes for families who have gone through medical stays similar to her family's. Today, Kate is involved in a variety of pediatric healthcare causes; most recently leading special projects and events at Children's Cancer Partners of the Carolinas.
About Frankie
Frankie Robertson has worked in public administration for more than two decades. Her maternal and child health work spans over a decade and began as the state director of the Louisiana Chapter of March of Dimes. During her tenure as state director, her talented team partnered with key stakeholders on successful statewide initiatives such as the 39 Weeks Initiative, Group Prenatal Care, Baby and Me Tobacco Free, and Go the Full 40.
Frankie also served as Regional Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at March of Dimes. She supported a talented team, contract lobbyists, and volunteers in LA, MS, AL, TN, FL, GA, NC, SC, and Puerto Rico. Key advocacy initiatives included maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, health equity, workplace protections, paid leave, maternal mental health, protecting immunization laws, healthcare coverage, newborn screening, neonatal abstinence syndrome, substance use disorders, and smoking cessation.
Frankie has an unwavering and unapologetic commitment to social justice and equity. She is passionate about maternal mental health, addressing toxic stress, and experienced the premature birth of her daughter, Zoe Amandla, at 28 weeks gestation. She applies her experiences as an activist mom of a Black son and a preemie, coupled with training as a birth doula and education in structural racism, to advance policies to address the root causes of health inequities for Black birthing people.
Humanity Chats
Curated by Marjy Marj, a consultant, visionary and author of The Shimmigrant and Same Elephants, Humanity Chats is a conversation about everyday issues that impact humans.
