Black Maternal Health Week
This year, Black Maternal Health Week is from April 11th to the 23rd, and April 11th is International Day for Maternal Health and Rights. The world has made significant strides in maternal health in the past few decades. According to UNICEF, Maternal mortality rates have decreased by 34% globally, from 342 deaths per 100,000 live births to 223 deaths per 100,000 live births.
However, the U.S. is falling behind. Of the comparable high-income countries, The U.S. has the second highest out-of-pocket healthcare costs, the highest rate of avoidable deaths, the highest maternal mortality rate, and the highest mental health needs. American women of reproductive age are the most likely to skip or delay care because of costs and are less likely to have a regular doctor or a place of care. When specifically evaluating Black maternal mortality rates in the U.S., the number jumps from a national average of 23.8 deaths per 100,000 births to 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births.
It is no secret that there are extreme disparities in maternal health in the U.S., especially racial disparities. D.C. alone falls behind the national mortality rate significantly, at an average of 36 deaths per 100,000 live births. For Black birthing people, the rate becomes 47.2 deaths per 100,000 live births. According to the 2019-2020 annual Maternal Mortality Review Committee Report, Black birthing people in the city constituted 90% of birth-related deaths. Black workers in D.C. are being denied paid family leave benefits at disproportionate rates compared to other racial demographic groups, particularly in Wards 7 and 8. It is notable that these wards are the most lacking in healthcare services and facilities in the district. Here is a source to learn more about these racial disparities in maternal health.
Why does this matter?
At First Shift Justice Project, we want better for mothers and parents in the U.S.
We are calling for a better healthcare system in the United States, and particularly in the DMV area, to better the health and livelihoods of all birthing people and to close racial disparity gaps. This means highlighting and learning from Black initiatives and communities such as Mamatoto Village and Black Mamas Matter Alliance, who are already doing transformative work to eliminate health inequities for Black mothers. Additionally, we are calling for better and universally accessible parental leave and advocating for decreased healthcare and childcare costs. In the scope of our work at First Shift, this means creating systemic changes that inform employers of their responsibilities for enacting policies that wholly support their employees, ensuring that their workers are supported during pregnancy, during birth, and throughout the entirety of their journeys as parents - through pregnancy accommodations, breastfeeding accommodations, and access to mental health care and time off to recover from birth to focus on bonding with their newborn.
As the Medical Legal Advocate at First Shift, I work with medical providers to fill out medical certification forms to lower the risk of denial of work accommodations and access to leave for D.C. paid family leave benefits and/or job protection. Access to job protection and paid leave are essential to health equity and maternal health, so let us all work together to serve our DMV community better.
Author: Kally Xu, Medical Legal Advocate
If you are interested in contacting Kally regarding medical provider training for your organization, you can email her at Kxu@FirstShift.org or 202-644-9043.
