Disparities in Maternal Mortality

How can healthcare providers mitigate racism in caring for pregnant women?

Watch Miriam Zoila Perez's TED Talk "How racism harms pregnant women -- and what can help" (4) - (12min)

What are the global implications of maternal mortality, and how can we save more prevent them?

Check out Michael Rosenblatt's TEDMED talk "How can we help the developing world get healthier?" (5) - (15min)

Geographies of Interest

Washington Heights and Inwood, NYC

The population of Washington Heights and Inwood is 72% Hispanic, 17% White, 7% Black or African American, 3% Asian, and 1% Other. Almost 50% of residents are foreign-born, and 37% have limited English proficiency. In Washington Heights and Inwood, 20% of residents live in poverty, with an unemployment of 12%, compared to the NYC unemployment rate of 9%. 6.1% of Washington Heights and Inwood residents receive late or no prenatal care, compared to the citywide rate of 6.7%. Meanwhile, the neighborhoods' rate of teen pregnancy--23.3 females per 1,000--surpasses citywide and Manhattan rates of 19.3 and 12.0 per 1,000 females respectively. (6)  

Stamford, CT

The population of Stamford is 62.4% White, 14.6% Black or African American, 8.6% Asian and 11.4% Other. In Stamford, 9.25% of residents live in poverty, of whom 66.67% are Islander, 17.15% are Black, 14.5% are Hispanic, 5.84% are Asian and 4.66% are White. Moreover, 28.2% of Black females in Stamford are married, in contrast to 40.1% of Hispanic, 49.6% of White, and 67.3% of Asian females. Meanwhile, 34.91% of Stamford residents are non-US born. In 2018, the rate of maternal mortality in the state of Connecticut was 20.7 females, compared to the US rate of 13.2 women per 10,000 births. (7)(8)

If I am interested in this topic, where can I learn more?

Check out the CDC's "Meeting the Challenges of Measuring and Preventing Maternal Mortality in the United States" (9) - (1hr 03 min)

This is a Public Health Grand Rounds that examines why U.S. women are more likely to die from childbirth or pregnancy related causes than other high income countries, and how racial disparities contribute to those statistics. 

Check out the PBS News Hour Series "Maternal Mortality" (10)

This collection of 5 videos documents the rise and drivers of maternal mortality in the U.S., beginning with race.

Check out the Documentary Collection of Every Mother Counts Documentary Collection "Giving Birth in America" (11)

This organization has created a compilation of 8 short films that document the stories of women and healthcare providers through pregnancy and birth across the U.S.  

Check out NPR's "The Last Person You'd Expect to Die in Childbirth" (12min) (12)

This story examines the death of a neonatal intensive care unit nurse following her own childbirth. 

Check out Vox's "Black moms die in childbirth 3 times as often as white moms. Except in North Carolina." (13)

This article highlights North Carolina's efforts to close the racial health gap, and has halved the black maternal death rate in the process. It has great graphics too! 

Check out the NYT Op Ed "If Americans Love Moms, Why Do We Let Them Die?" (14)

This article explores the impact of health policy on maternal mortality in the U.S. 

Sources

 1.    Martin N. Montagne R. Black Mothers Keep Dying After Giving Birth. Shalon Irving's Story Explains Why. (2017, Dec. 07). Retrieved on Jan 10, 2019 from: https://www.npr.org/2017/12/07/568948782/black-mothers-keep-dying-after-giving-birth-shalon-irvings-story-explains-why

2.     Barbaro M. Listen to 'The Daily': A Life-or-Death Crisis for Black Mothers. (2018, May 11). Retrieved on Jan. 12, 2019 from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/11/podcasts/the-daily/mortality-black-mothers-babies.html

3.     Robinson L. Maternal Mortality in America and the Crisis for Rural Women. (2016, Jun 17). Retrieved on Jan. 10, 2019 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v5A3BxU4Uc

4.     Zoila Perez M. How racism harms pregnant women - and what can help. (2016, Oct.) Retrieved on Jan. 15, 2019 from: https://www.ted.com/talks/miriam_zoila_perez_how_racism_harms_pregnant_women_and_what_can_help/discussion#t-709905

5.     Rosenblatt M. How can we help the developing world get healthier? (2011). Retrieved on Jan. 03, 2019 from: https://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=6961

6.     NYC Community Health Profiles 2018: Washington Heights and Inwood. Retrieved on March 22, 2019 from: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2018chp-mn12.pdf

7.     World Population Review: Stamford, Connecticut, 2019. Retrieved on Dec. 26, 2019 from: worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/stamford-ct-population/

8.     United Health Foundation. Public Health Impact: Maternal Mortality. Retrieved on Dec. 28, 2019 from: https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/health-of-women-and-children/measure/maternal_mortality/state/CT

9.     CDC Public Health Grand Rounds. Meeting the Challenges of Measuring and Preventing Maternal Mortality in the United States. (2017, Nov. 17). Retrieved on Jan. 11, 2019 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAFXdVK0gMU

10.   PBS News Hour: Maternal Mortality. Retrieved on Dec. 28, 2019 from: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/tag/maternal-mortality

11.   Every Mother Counts. Retrieved on Jan. 28, 2019 from: https://everymothercounts.org/films/

12.   Martin N, Montagne R. The Last Person You'd Expect To Die in Childbirth. (2017, May 12). Retrieved on Jan. 10, 2019 from: https://www.npr.org/2017/05/12/527806002/focus-on-infants-during-childbirth-leaves-u-s-moms-in-danger

13.   Belluz J. Black moms die in childbirth 3 times as often as white moms. Except in North Carolina. Vox. (2017, July 03). Retrieved on Jan. 22, 2019 from: https://www.vox.com/health-care/2017/7/3/15886892/black-white-moms-die-childbirth-north-carolina-less

14.   Kristof N. If Americans Love Moms, Why Do We Let Them Die? NY Times. (2017, July 29). Retrieved on Jan 20, 2019 fro: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/29/opinion/sunday/texas-childbirth-maternal-mortality.html