Maternal health care: Listen to the concerns of marginalized groups

Re: “Olympic sprinter Tori Bowie died from complications of childbirth, autopsy report concludes” [June 13, Nation]:

It must be recognized by now amongst suppliers and advocates alike that girls of colour, notably Black girls, are extra vulnerable to pregnancy-related issues. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has been proven to exacerbate this unlucky actuality.

As an alternative of repeatedly reporting the numbers and statistics in analysis findings that emphasize the specter of maternal mortality and morbidity amongst Black girls, we have to immediately deal with the systemic obstacles stopping girls in marginalized communities from receiving the very best care earlier than, throughout and after their pregnancies. If we already know that long-standing inequality and deep-rooted racism throughout the well being care system are what drive disproportionate care amongst Black girls, then suppliers ought to take the suitable steps to ensure that Black sufferers, particularly mothers-to-be, are listened to.

A part of adapting to the altering cultural panorama is listening to considerations of marginalized teams, and I imagine that it’s important for suppliers to contemplate one’s considerations, stressors and fears in affected person care. The U.S. at the moment has among the many highest maternal mortality charges on the earth for a rustic so industrialized and outfitted with trendy expertise. We should act now to cease these preventable deaths, like Tori Bowie’s, from persisting.

Nede Ovbiebo, Federal Method