The Biden Administration reached a historic settlement agreement between HHS OCR and Cedars-Sinai in the Kira Johnson case. Despite pushback from the current Administration, Cedars-Sinai has a vital opportunity to improve maternity care for Black birthing people.
As we prepare to mark the 248th anniversary of our nation’s founding, we are increasingly reminded that our democracy has always been a work in progress – and that the progress we have achieved has never been easy or conflict-free.
Maternal mental health conditions affect one in five women and can lead to adverse health outcomes for both mothers and infants. That’s why we’re so glad Congress has introduced the Mental Health and Making Access More Affordable (MAMA) Act to support mental health services for pregnant and postpartum individuals.
To tell the story of reproductive justice without the long history of the labor of Black women’s bodies is to do a disservice to the reproductive justice movement.
In honor of Black History Month, this piece highlights the Black Maternal Health Momnibus act as a labor of love and how keeping these bills in limbo isn’t helping black mothers.
One leading strategy for confronting the maternal health crisis is to advance payment and delivery reforms with the specific aim of improving maternal-newborn outcomes and increasing equity.
Black women, in particular, are no strangers to traumatic experiences or being forced to be “strong” and “resilient” in the face of said trauma and, yet, somehow, finding joy anyhow. This is especially true for Black maternal health.
As we celebrate Earth Day and reflect on the steps we can all take to protect our planet, it’s important to highlight that climate change doesn’t impact everyone equally. Decades of racist policies – from housing to infrastructure to economic policies – often restricted low-income communities and communities of color to areas with more environmental hazards and heavy pollution.
No-Cost Preventive Services in Danger
In Braidwood Management, Judge O’Connor ruled unconstitutional a key provision of the ACA preventive health services requirement. This would undermine access to cost-free coverage for chronic disease screenings, cancer screenings, and vaccinations that over 150 million people benefit from.
Editor’s Note: The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and reverse a legal precedent of nearly 50 years is no surprise. The willingness of the Court’s majority to disrespect the importance of women’s autonomy and catapult them backwards into a 19th century, second-class status speaks volumes about the majority’s lack of respect for women’s equality and individual dignity.
Maternity care in “community birth” settings – both such as birth centers and planned home birth – is associated with lower rates of preterm and cesarean birth and higher breastfeeding rates compared to similar people with standard physician-led and hospital-based maternity care. Keep reading to learn why.
Black Maternal Health Week was created to raise awareness of the root causes of poor maternal health outcomes for Black women and to inspire activism in support of Black-led maternal health initiatives. Founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, the goals of Black Maternal Health Week are to: Deepen the national conversation about Black maternal health in the US…
As a labor and delivery nurse, I have seen first-hand the devastating effects of untreated substance use disorders (SUD) and mental illnesses in pregnancy and postpartum—as one of the many ways our healthcare system fails to support and care for these moms and babies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in nearly 50,000 cases and more than 60 deaths among pregnant people across the United States. And these numbers will surely increase as infections continue to surge over the winter months.
Most sexual assault is never reported,often because survivors distrust or fear the police, or believe that the police can’t or won’t do anything to help.
Summary of new report on maternity care system.
Where you live, work and play all affect your health. Indeed, research shows that access to nutritious food and safe housing are clearly linked to your health.
Supporting the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) should be a no-brainer. This bill would help eliminate racial and ethnic health and health care disparities.
Too many Black women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth. It’s unacceptable. We’re proud to support Black Mamas Matter Alliance’s Black Maternal Health Week.
“This is the time to move women’s rights forward, not roll back the progress we have made over decades.”
