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Dear Friend,

As a mom of four who has experienced the shortcomings in our maternal health care system, a doula who has had the honor to support birthing parents, and an advocate fighting to improve maternal health, I hope that you will join me in celebrating the fifth annual Black Maternal Health Week, founded by our partners at Black Mamas Matter Alliance. Black Maternal Health Week is a week of awareness, activism, and community building where the voices of Black Mamas are centered and a perfect opportunity to call on the Senate to make critical investments in Black maternal health.

Add your name to our letter urging the U.S. Senate to support historic investments to address health disparities, end our nation’s maternal health crisis and to save the lives of moms by supporting the Black Maternal Health Momnibus!

Right now, the United States is the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world, [1] with major racial disparities where Black women lose their lives at 3 to 4 times more than the rate of white women due to maternity-related causes, independent of age, economic background, or education.[2] This is a fact that has not changed for several decades [3] and COVID-19 added another dimension of complications escalating the crisis.[4] 

The hopeful news is that last year the House of Representatives took action to ensure historic investments to save moms' lives, end racial & ethnic maternal health disparities, and advance birth equity. Now it is time for the Senate to do the same! The Black Maternal Health Momnibus will:

• Grow and diversify the perinatal workforce to ensure that every mom in America receives maternity care and support from people she can trust;
• Make critical investments in social determinants of health that influence maternal health outcomes, like housing, transportation, and nutrition;
• Invest in maternal mental health care and substance use disorder treatments;
• Address the impacts of climate change on maternal and infant health outcomes;
• Provide funding to community-based organizations that are working to improve maternal health outcomes, particularly for Black women;
• Improve data collection processes and quality measures to better understand the causes of the maternal health crisis in the United States and inform solutions to address it;
• Invest in digital tools like telehealth to improve maternal health outcomes in underserved areas;
• Invest in reducing maternal mortality and require Medicaid and CHIP to cover full benefits for one year for pregnant and postpartum women. This, along with other key provisions of the Momnibus legislation makes over $1 billion in historic investments in the health and care of moms.

Add your name to our letter urging the U.S. Senate to support the Black Maternal Health Momnibus and investments to save the lives of moms!

We know that at least 60% of maternal deaths can be prevented and infant mortality reduced with investment in public policies and culturally competent care. Together we can tackle this crisis. This Black Maternal Health Week let’s keep the pressure on and help ensure that every person that gives birth has a safe and healthy experience and the opportunity to watch their child grow up and thrive. 

SIGN our letter now to the U.S. Senate in support of saving lives, maternal health, and birth equity!!

Together we are a powerful voice in the movement to save moms.

- Tina, Monifa, and the whole MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder Team

References:

[1] U.S. is the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world, NBC News
[2][3] The Black–White Disparity in Pregnancy-Related Mortality From 5 Conditions: Differences in Prevalence and Case-Fatality Rates, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
[4] Maternal Deaths Rose During the First Year of the Pandemic, New York Times

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