Giving Compass' Take:
- Experts at the Urban Institute center Black experiences and expertise to present evidence-informed and community-based recommendations to address the Black maternal health crisis.
- How can we center the experiences of Black mothers in our fight against institutional racism in the medical field?
- Learn more about the health disparities facing Black mothers due to systemic racism.
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The Urban Institute collaborated with the National Birth Equity Collaborative, a national nonprofit organization that creates solutions that optimize Black maternal and infant health, to produce a research brief that centers Black expertise, experiences, and voices in the Black maternal health crisis. In this brief, we share findings from informant interviews and established research recommendations to provide policy and programmatic strategies for addressing maternal health disparities both in DC and nationally.
Though no single policy solution will solve this public health crisis, the Urban Institute suggests the following as ways to begin addressing the Black maternal health crisis:
- Address racism within the health care system.
- Increase access to Black-led community-based providers.
- Create accountability mechanisms to better understand why Black mothers die at a higher rate than white mothers.
- Center Black women’s leadership by passing comprehensive maternal health legislation.
Read the full article about improving Black maternal health at the Urban Institute.
Without a structural overhaul, health disparities and inequities among Black communities will persist. Prioritizing providing resources to Black-led health care and health services organizations is necessary to advance health and birth equity. This recommendation will create more pathways for birth workers of color to enter the field while bolstering community buy-in and incentivizing high-quality maternity care. Promoting health and well-being in a more socially just and equitable manner starts by acknowledging racism’s role in policies, ideas, and structures.