BATON ROUGE - Community members gathered at the State Capitol on Sunday afternoon to honor women who have died due to not having proper healthcare during pregnancy. 

Community advocate and Baton Rogue NAACP leader Eugene Collins shared his story at the Honor Her Life event. Collins' younger sister died with two months left in her pregnancy. 

"My sister went to the doctor and she was turned away. She went to an emergency room and was initially turned away. My mom, who had some medical training, instructed her to go back. She sat in the emergency room and had a stroke. Days later my nephew died."

Collins said he wished he was more involved with his sister's healthcare journey, and urged others to reach out to family members and loved ones who are pregnant. 

"I think sometimes we have a tendency to think we have to go with our wife, we have to go with our girlfriend but we have to check on our siblings as well," Collins said. "Check on our cousins, any women in our family - we all should be actively engaged and involved with that process." 

Event organizer Kaitlyn Joshua said death during the pregnancy process is something women in Louisiana are facing at an alarming rate 

"Black women are three times more likely to die during childbirth and labor, through the pregnancy period and even through the post-partum period, so it's something we have to turn our focus to." 

The event was organized by the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority as a part of Black Maternal Health Week, which runs from April 11 through 17.