Nicole Manning

Journal article

The United States continues to be one of the most dangerous developed nations in the world to give birth, with Black women disproportionately affected by the nation's maternal mortality crisis. The increasing maternal mortality rate among Black women is rooted in the United States’ long-standing history of racial inequality, where medical, social, and political institutions have historically viewed Black women not as people to be taken care of, but as experiments and tools to advance medical practices. This legacy of oppression continues to manifest itself in disparities within healthcare access, treatment, and patient outcomes. Implicit bias within medical institutions frequently leads to the dismissal of Black women’s pain, concerns, and symptoms, resulting in complications and fatalities that are oftentimes preventable. Economic and legislative barriers to healthcare—including restrictive Medicaid policies and the closure of hospitals in marginalized communities—further prevent Black women from accessing necessary critical prenatal and postpartum care. In order to address these resources Black women need access to culturally competent care throughout their pregnancies and during the postpartum period. Expanding training in culturally competent care for maternity healthcare providers can mitigate implicit bias and improve patient-provider relations, which are often significant barriers to receiving continued maternal care for Black women. Maternal mortality review committees can identify and recommend targeted solutions to systemic patterns of mistreatment, while Doula reimbursement programs can further support and advocate for Black women throughout pregnancy and childbirth, improving pregnancies and birth outcomes by ensuring continuous, patient-centered care and treatment. The rise in Black maternal mortality rates is not an anomaly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a constant narrative, demanding, and deserving of, urgent attention and systemic reform.