More attention must be paid to a major epidemic in the United States. There are a lot of problems with maternal health in this country, and its racial disparities disproportionately harms women of color. Despite the US being a relatively wealthier nation, America has the highest maternal mortality rate of all developed countries in the world. More specifically, Black and Indigenous women are 2–3 times more likely to have a pregnancy-related death compared to their White counterparts.
There are numerous factors that contribute to this statistic. Access to proper healthcare plays a major role. Unlike many other countries today, the US does not have universal healthcare and 11 states do not have expanded Medicaid programs. Because of this, many women, especially Black women, of reproductive age are uninsured and at risk of losing coverage 60 day postpartum and fall in the Medicaid coverage act. Inadequate access to proper care during before, during, and after pregnancy risks the survival of mothers and their children. Black and Indigenous women either receive prenatal care very late or none at all which leads to pregnancy complications. Women of color in general face many barriers to sufficient healthcare, such as not having postpartum coverage, possessing limited access to hospitals and providers, and lacking linguistically and culturally appropriate care, especially in rural and medically underserved areas. Poor mental health conditions also contribute to about a quarter of pregnancy related deaths. Also, Asian and Black mothers are more affected by heart conditions and hemorrhaging during pregnancy. Thus, proper prenatal care is essential, so that that healthcare providers can go over these specific health conditions to preserve the health of their patients. Furthermore, Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous women are more likely to face mistreatment and discrimination from their healthcare providers according to studies, such as patients facing more dismissal or aggression from their doctors. Not to mention, there has been a recent increase of non-essential c-sections, especially for Black women, which has to more complications and morbidity.
The maternal mortality rate has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly because the access to healthcare had become even more limited. Fortunately, there are more measures trying to combat this issue. Recently, a maternal mental health hotline was created and received almost 12,000 calls within its first year of release. Federal grants have allowed psychiatry access programs that involve proper psychiatric support and pediatric providers to treat maternal mental health conditions. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded over $65 million to HRSA-funded health centers as attempt to improve maternal health conditions and eliminate disparities, as well as planned a “Birthing Friendly” hospital designation so that expecting mothers can better ensure their safety.
President Biden proclaimed the week of April 10th to be Black Maternal Health Week. The Biden-Harris administration is aiming for more bilingual doula services especially for those who have access to healthcare, since doulas could provide birthing and postpartum support by reducing psychological and physical stress. In addition, the administration is pushing for more diverse, culturally aware healthcare workers ideally to reduce these inequalities as much as possible, increasing telehealth services for those living in rural areas, and expanding implicit bias training for healthcare workers. In order to improve postpartum care, the administration is advocating to have the 60 days of postpartum Medicaid coverage turn into one year instead. With the president’s $471 million budget to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates, hopefully the conditions for maternal health will significantly improve.
Sources:
https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2023/07/u-s-maternal-mental-health-crisis-potential-remedies/
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/health-care-system-racial-disparities-maternal-mortality/
https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2023/04/11/biden-issues-proclamation-for-black-maternal-health-week/