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John,
Today marks the close of Black Maternal Health Week — dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for improved maternal health outcomes for Black moms.
In the U.S., Black women are THREE TIMES more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women — and the CDC notes that more than 80% of those deaths are preventable. And that’s just one of the ways that Black women are disproportionately at risk of maternal health complications. (Check out this guide for more information.)
Racism, bias in our healthcare system, and policies written without the voices of those most impacted continue to cost lives. It’s abundantly clear that we need more leaders in office to amplify and fight for this underrepresented issue. And Vote Mama has some incredible moms already doing the work to address these disparities:
- Rep. Janelle Bynum (OR-05) — Oregon’s first Black member of Congress — is working to achieve bipartisan support on maternal health care policy, addressing research that shows babies born to healthy mothers are less likely to be premature or born with health problems and mothers with access to health care are less likely to die in childbirth. Black communities have predominantly less access to health care, putting Black moms at even greater risk.
- Pennsylvania State Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes has been using her position on the House Appropriations Committee to focus on the well-being of moms, particularly Black moms. Rep. Mayes has made it a top budget priority, probing state Human Services and Health departments about their strategies to reduce maternal mortality. For this year’s Black Maternal Health Week, she also hosted a summit centered around improvements to maternal health and the inequities in healthcare access.
- Dr. Jasmine Clark is a state representative in Georgia — where maternal mortality rates are nearly twice the national average. She’s been leading the charge to address Georgia’s Black maternal mortality crisis by pushing for Medicaid expansions. Sixty-five percent of Black birthing people in the U.S. rely on Medicaid. Here’s what Rep. Clark had to say: “If Georgia were to expand Medicaid, approximately 229,000 women in the state would become eligible for coverage. Of those 229,000 women, 40% of them are likely Black women. That equates to almost 100,000 Black women in the state of Georgia who would gain access to a doctor who would gain access to health care.”
If we’re going to improve the outcomes for Black moms, we need to address this systemic issue head-on by having transparent conversations about it. That’s why we want to hear from you today on what changes you think will be most effective in making a meaningful difference in Black maternal health. Will you take just a moment today to take our short survey?
Which of the following solutions for improving Black maternal health do you MOST want to see in your community?
public educational resources
expanded medicaid coverage
Job-protected paid parental leave
Funding for maternal health programs
Doula access and services
[OTHER]
*ALL OF THE ABOVE*
Thanks for sharing your voice and being a part of the conversation on this critical issue!
- Liuba & Your Friends at Vote Mama
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