Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., would address racial disparities in maternal health care.

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U.S. Rep. Alma Adams and Sen. Kamala Harris are sponsoring congressional bills that would reduce racial disparities in maternal health care.

Adams, a Charlotte Democrat who is founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, reintroduced the Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies, or Maternal CARE Act. Harris, a California Democrat and presidential candidate, introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

“We cannot address the black maternal health crisis facing this country until we address racial disparities in healthcare,” Adams said. “The Maternal CARE Act will confront the persistent biases in our health system to ensure black women have equal access to the quality pre- and post-natal care they deserve.”

The legislation would establish a grant program to support implicit bias training in medical schools, nursing schools and other health professional training programs. It also allows for up to 10 states to implement pregnancy medical home programs to integrate at home care services to at-risk pregnant women and new mothers. The program is based on a model implemented in North Carolina, in which the pregnancy-related mortality rate for black women dropped from 51.1 per 100,000 live births to 24.3.

“The Maternal CARE Act will confront the persistent biases in our health system to ensure Black women have equal access to the quality pre- and post-natal care they deserve,” Adams said in a statement. “By building on the PMH program that was so successful in my home state of North Carolina, we can ensure that at-risk mothers have the rights, respect and resources to survive and thrive – before, during and after pregnancy.”

The United States is one of only 13 countries in the world where the rate of maternal mortality is now worse than it was 25 years ago. For black women, regardless of education level or income, the risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes is four times higher than for white women. Black women are twice as likely to suffer from life-threatening pregnancy complications.

“Black mothers across the country are facing a health crisis that is driven in part by implicit bias in our health care system,” Harris said. “We must take action to address this issue, and we must do it with the sense of urgency it deserves. The Maternal CARE Act will establish implicit bias training throughout the medical profession and help ensure that women – especially black women – have access to comprehensive, culturally competent care.”
 

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