NPWF President: “Robust interventions to address the substantial racial inequities in maternal health in the United States are long overdue and require immediate action.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 19, 2023 – Today, the National Partnership for Women & Families endorsed Representative Robin Kelly’s recently introduced legislation to tackle the maternal mortality crisis. The bicameral CARE (Community, Access, Resources, Empowerment) for Moms Act would strengthen the maternal health workforce, promote access to prenatal and postpartum care, and provide essential resources to help mothers and babies thrive. As the maternal mortality crisis worsens and women struggle to access quality, affordable maternal and infant care across the country, Black women are disproportionately losing their lives in the act of giving birth. The National Partnership is firmly committed to reversing this trend, and urges lawmakers to join Congresswoman Kelly’s call for comprehensive, actionable solutions to support moms and babies.

“Robust interventions to address the substantial racial inequities in maternal health in the United States are long overdue and require immediate action,” said Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “The CARE for Moms Act would be an important step forward to help alleviate this crisis, with specific policies to ensure that moms have the support and care they need when they need it most. CARE for Moms will improve access to doula support to offer guidance and more holistic assistance throughout the birthing process, while increasing quality care and access to coverage. The bill will also target the structural factors driving the disproportionately high rate of Black maternal mortality. The National Partnership is pleased to endorse the CARE for Moms Act. We also want to thank Rep. Robin Kelly for sponsoring the bill and her longtime leadership on maternal health.”

The CARE for Moms Act delivers critical provisions to:

• Support federal efforts to grow and diversify the doula workforce
• Extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers in all 50 states
• Extending Medicaid and CHIP to Oral Health Coverage to pregnant and postpartum women
• Require 90-day notification to HHS for hospital obstetric unit closures
• Establish a State-Based Perinatal Quality Collaborative Grant Program and grants for Rural Obstetric Mobile Units
• Establish Regional Centers of Excellence to tackle implicit bias and promote cultural competence among health professionals.

The National Partnership for Women & Families has been a national leader in the fight to improve maternal health. Our series, Improving Our Maternity Care Now, offers practical solutions to the maternal health crisis by increasing access to midwifery care, community birth settings (birth centers, home birth), doula support, and community-based perinatal health worker groups.

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Miriam Cash
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