NYC Public Advocate Unveils Plan to Combat Black Maternal Death

(Bloomberg) -- Black women in New York City are eight times more likely than their White peers to die from a pregnancy-related cause — a maternal mortality rate even higher than startling nationwide statistics. 

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who along with his wife is expecting a “miracle” baby after fertility struggles and a miscarriage, is looking to change that. On Thursday, he released a plan to improve maternal health outcomes by better tracking mortality rates based on race and gender identity, requiring anti-bias training for health-care workers and boosting support for pregnant people. 

Williams, who last month filed paperwork to run for New York governor, wants to build out an existing program put in place by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, which invested $12.8 million over three years in implicit bias training and enhancing maternal care at New York City Health and Hospitals. Williams wants to extend the funding for the initiative and is pushing for similar proposals nationwide. 

“Black maternal health, with my family and the community I come from, is important,” Williams said in an interview. “It got more personal as I started dealing with the issues that I was dealing with my wife. As you can imagine, it hit close to home.”

Williams’ wife, India Sneed-Williams, who found out she was pregnant just after being diagnosed with cervical cancer, recently spoke out about the couple’s journey to grow their family and questioned whether her medical concerns were dismissed because she is Black. 

“It’s always been a lingering thought: ‘Am I getting this treatment because I’m Black?’” she said in a recent interview. 

The U.S. has some of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income countries. Black and Indigenous women, however, are three times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy-related causes. Black women are also more likely to lose their babies. 

The stress of racism and discrimination from health-care workers play a role, experts say. Tennis star Serena Williams said she almost died while delivering her daughter Olympia. A nurse initially dismissed her request for a CT scan that ultimately revealed blood clots, she told Vogue magazine in 2018. 

Advocate Williams’ plan calls on New York City Health and Hospitals to adopt the World Health Organization guidelines for improving outcomes of preterm births, which includes interventions such as administering antibiotics before labor and offering feeding support for infants.

He's also recommending that the state require health-care facilities offer biannual anti-bias training and insurance companies to cover the costs of midwives and doulas, which are linked to lower maternal mortality rates and reduced postpartum depression. 

He also supports the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, a Congressional bill to provide funding to community-based organizations that are working to improve pregnancy health outcomes and telehealth and digital tools.

Williams earlier this year introduced legislation that would establish a maternal bill of rights informing patients of their right to decline procedures. It would also require employers to hold meetings to discuss workplace re-entry after employees take parental leave on how to support them post-birth.

Some cities and U.S. states have programs that tackle rising maternal mortality. Oregon and Minnesota cover doulas through Medicaid, and New York state has a similar pilot program. New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams said during his campaign that he wants to offer them to all first-time mothers in the city. 

“I don’t know that there is anyone doing it the way it should be done right now,” Williams said. “People often look to places like New York. We should be providing leadership.”

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.