HEALTH FOUNDATION OF SOUTH FLORIDA BLACK MATERNAL CARE OPEN LETTER

Black maternal death rates have been steadily rising in the United States for decades, Black women in Miami-Dade County today are three times more likely to die from childbirth and related complications than White women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that four out of five of these deaths are preventable. The history of structural and institutional racism which has resulted in inadequate access to care, maternity care deserts, lack of health insurance, and implicit bias, are at the root of the Black maternal health crisis. Think about that. Why is the disparity so great? And why do we allow it to continue when we have a blueprint for better perinatal outcomes? It is physiologic birth and midwifery, which is the standard of care in every single country that is doing well in the areas of maternal and infant health. Also, most of those countries have some version of universal healthcare to address the needs of uninsured pregnant people and a robust infrastructure to support care coordination and integration including postpartum care and family leave. The alarming statistics on Black death rates in the United States call for urgent action to address the health equity crisis that is...