The maternal mortality crisis in the United states

2/16/2020

File:MDG5.svg.(n.d.).Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MDG5.svg

I was very glad to know that there is a health care service in California which provides services to immigrants in need. According to the documentary "Giving Birth in America", women in California are eligible for Medicaid during pregnancy regardless of immigration status. I think this is a step in the right direction because in many places immigrants are not able to get access to health care services due to their immigration status and lack of income. There are many factors which influence maternal mortality among women of color in the United States. The first factor is the shortage of healthcare providers in rural and under-resourced communities (Giving Birth in America, n.d.). Many Immigrants generally tend to move to rural areas due to work, but have to live far away from proper healthcare services. Due to this, women of color might not always be able to get to the hospital to have a healthy birth and get proper care. A second factor is women of color are not able to get insurance which can cover their health care needs (Giving Birth in America, n.d.). A reason for this could be because many immigrant women lack proper documentation to receive insurance. Many also might not be able to afford insurance due to how expensive it can be. Many women give birth while also suffering from chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity (Giving Birth in America, n.d.). Since many immigrant women of color do not have insurance, they aren't able to take care of chronic conditions which puts them at risk during pregnancy and birth. If these women were able to get help early, giving birth would no longer be as risky. A third factor is chronic stress which arises from racism and social equities. I think this is because experiencing racism can lead to the development of stress hormones and these hormones are what put women at risk during pregnancy (Chatterjee and Davis, 2017). I’ve always known that the US has an awful maternal rate but it always surprises me considering the US is the richest country in the world. I think our healthcare system can do many things to better support expectant mothers. The first thing the healthcare system can do is to provide women with doulas that they feel comfortable with (Krisberg, 2019). Medicaid coverage should include doula care because they can provide a certain comfort which can reduce stress when giving birth. The second thing the health care system can do is address root causes which can lead to risky births such as racism (Krisberg, 2019). The healthcare system should work to understand the experiences women of color go through in the country and help empower them. I feel that the voice of women of color should be heard so that we can invest in proper community based interventions in high need areas with a focus on women who need help and are the most vulnerable (Krisberg, 2019).

After doing some research, a non-profit organization I found which is working to improve maternal health in the U.S. and other areas around the world is (EMC) Every Mother Counts. Every Mother Counts was founded in 2020 by Christy Turlington Burns (Our Story: Every Mother Counts, n.d.). Every Mother Counts works to achieve maternity care that is quality, respectful and equitable, by providing grants and collaborating with partners and thought leaders to increase overall awareness and inspire and mobilize communities to take action (Our Story: Every Mother Counts, n.d.). The overall goal of this organization is to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother throughout the world. EMC uses filmmaking, storytelling, and research to share challenges and opportunities in global maternal health (Our Story: Every Mother Counts, n.d.). EMC closely collaborates with policy makers and community members to identify any maternal health issues and implement strategies for a change (Our Story: Every Mother Counts, n.d.). EMC supports community based programs and also invests in strengthening and making bigger the maternity care workforce (Our Story: Every Mother Counts, n.d.).

BY: TJ KAPIL

References

Chatterjee, R., & Davis, R. (2017, December 20). How Racism May Cause Black Mothers To Suffer The Death Of Their Infants. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/12/20/570777510/how-racism-may-cause-black-mothers-to-suffer-the-death-of-their-infants

Giving Birth in America: Every Mother Counts (EMC): Improving Maternal Health. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2020, from https://everymothercounts.org/giving-birth-in-america/

Krisberg, K. (2019, August 1). Programs work from within to prevent black maternal deaths: Workers targeting root cause - Racism. Retrieved from http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/49/6/1.3-0

Our Story: Every Mother Counts (EMC): Improving Maternal Health. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2020, from https://everymothercounts.org/our-story/

6 Comments

Gellila Solnon

2/16/2020 07:45:38 pm

TJ, thanks for sharing!
I was glad to here that California provides healthcare to those who are immigrants. I agree that all of factors which you mentioned affect these woman's maternal mortality rates. Where they live, lack of documentary and high blood pressure or other health issues affects these women. But not many are doing anything to help these women, that's why I also think that doula are a great idea. It gives comfort and control back to these women; so that they can have a safe birth. As well as tackling racism. Racism is a huge factor which influences many of these women's type of care and quality of care. Many think that racism is gone, but its's still present and affects individuals in various ways; like through healthcare.

Kathy Luangrath

2/16/2020 08:13:04 pm

Hi TJ, thank you for sharing your blog post! I agree with the several factors you mentioned that contributes to Maternal Mortality within the United States. In addition, as Gellila mentioned, I think racial disparities contribute heavily to this discourse. For example, mentioned in the article "Midwives, doulas could benefit births -- but not all women have access" black women are treated differently and are more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth no matter their socioeconomic status or power. Further, in "Dying to be Competent" Cottom mentions how Serena Williams was even impacted and had to convince health workers for treatment. On top of that, there is also a racial difference between the development of health issues that make WOC more prone to develop. That said, I really like your strategies and suggestions for the healthcare system! I think it's really important for providers and other workers to understand the social determinants of health that impact women of color substantially.

I also enjoyed learning about Every Mother Counts! I am unfamiliar with this organization and found it very interesting! Thank you for sharing!

Nhi My Ly

2/16/2020 08:37:15 pm

Hi TJ, I enjoyed reading your post very much because you provided some interesting points. I was surprised myself to find out that California offers services to immigrant expectant mothers. I think California is the first state to even offer health care benefits to unauthorized/undocumented immigrants! Other states should follow this example as well. You mentioned that chronic stress from racism and social equities is an influencing factor for maternal mortality. The effects of stress can be detrimental to the baby’s health. This makes a good point as to why our health care system can improve by providing more quality access to services for marginalized populations. They are lacking most in this area and it contributes to a wider racial gap.

Megan Pintok

2/18/2020 09:36:58 am

Hi TJ! Thank you so much for your blog post. I like that you addressed chronic stress as an impactful factor that women face during pregnancy which results in health risks that can greatly affect the pregnancy such as high blood pressure. Ways we can reduce chronic stress in women of color is by eliminating racial disparities and social inequities in the healthcare workforce allowing for a safe and equal environment for women to be able to birth their children safely and remain healthy. In response to the ways in which healthcare systems can improve towards maternal health, I think community based interventions would be an effective way to voice women of color and emphasize that they should be allowed equal access to healthcare and proper medical attention when it comes to building a healthy pregnancy and staying away from risky pregnancy factors.

Honey Cin

2/18/2020 09:55:07 pm

Hi TC, thank you for sharing about the California healthcare system. Before reading your post, I honestly have no knowledge about the services California has for immigrant women. I think the United States healthcare system needs a lot of improvements and changes. It would be very cool to see healthcare services for all women in the United States. I hope we will be able to eliminate systematic racism soon and treat everyone equally.

Mariam Elias

3/11/2020 01:07:57 am

Oh wow, I didn't know that you get Medicaid while pregnancy regardless to your immigrant statue in California. This awesome and show how they are willing to treat all women equally. This is how healthcare should be everywhere in the US not only in California. It is still a great first step for women equality in the states.

The maternal mortality crisis in the United states

Leave a Reply.