Opinion: Here’s a Way to Make Health Care Safer for Black Mothers

Photo by PeopleImages/iStock. ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?fit=600%2C413&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?fit=1024%2C704&ssl=1″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?resize=1024%2C704&ssl=1″ alt class=”wp-image-36531″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?resize=1024%2C704&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?resize=600%2C413&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?resize=768%2C528&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?resize=1536%2C1056&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?resize=2048%2C1408&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?resize=640%2C440&ssl=1 640w, https://i0.wp.com/www.calhealthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PeopleImages.jpg?resize=1200%2C825&ssl=1 1200w” sizes=”(max-width: 639px) 98vw, (max-width: 1199px) 64vw, 770px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>Photo by PeopleImages/iStock. The numbers are irrefutable — Black women are three times more likely than white, Asian and Hispanic women to die during or immediately after pregnancy, according to the CDC. The California Department of Public Health reports Black mothers account for only 5 percent of pregnancies in the state but make up 21 percent of pregnancy-related deaths. Investigations determine that more than half of these deaths are preventable. The status quo is unacceptable — overall maternal mortality consistently ranks among the top causes of death among women ages 20 to 44 in the United States, and the rate has steadily increased since the 1990s. The specialty of anesthesiology has been working to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality through best practices and use of quality metrics. In April, we recognized Black Maternal Health Week, a week of awareness, activism and community-building aimed at improving the perinatal health of Black women. It is important to highlight that the health care community must continue to prioritize reducing Black maternal mortality and...