USofCare Maternal and Child Health Resource Hub
Everyone deserves to have a joyful and safe pregnancy while being treated with dignity and respect, but we know that in the United States that is oftentimes not the case.
At United States of Care, we start our work by listening to people first. Using this people-first approach, we arrived at our United Solutions for Care, which includes four goals and 12 solutions to improve the health care system based on what we heard over multiple years from people across the country. Included in those 12 solutions is a call for better maternal and newborn care.
Our health care system has failed maternal health severely and the racial disparities are especially stark: recent data shows that the mortality rate among Black women has skyrocketed to almost three times that of white women, regardless of their income or education.
Black women are nearly three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women, regardless of their income or education.
Each year, hundreds of Black women die from complications from childbirth within one year after giving birth. With a bipartisan majority of Americans supporting improvements in maternal and newborn care and a robust advocacy network highlighting this inequity’s impact on our communities, the question remains: why has our health care system failed Black women so severely?
We seek to answer just that. As we search for solutions to the maternal health crisis, we must center the voices of people affected most, including Black women.
USofCare is proud to share the following resources based on our listening work and research that uncover how we can ensure everyone has a joyous birthing experience and a joyful, safe, and supported pregnancy.
Our MCH Research
USofCare’s Listening Work on Maternal Health: Understanding the Pregnancy Experience of Women of Color
At USofCare, we listen first. In our conversations with women of color, we uncovered crucial insights into the pregnancy experiences of women of color and how we can improve them.
Maternal and Child Health Medicaid Policy Landscape & State Trends
Published in September 2022, this is a research brief on maternal health policy within Medicaid programs across all 50 states and DC as of 2022.
Our MCH Medium Posts
Hint: it isn’t good. Click the image to read more about our research findings and what women of color experience in contrast to their white counterparts. This post goes into:
- Differential Treatment, Stereotyping, and Racism in the Black Maternal Health Experience
- Limited Knowledge and Experience with Midwives and Doulas
- Lack of Postpartum Support
From disbelief to racism, Black women suffer the most when it comes to receiving adequate health care.
Read powerful quotes from Black women about their experiences within the U.S. health care system.