Leading Black Maternal Health Advocates Demand Blueprint Overhaul and Transparency to Address Systemic Racism and Support Community-Led Solutions for Maternal Health Equity
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A collective of maternal health advocates, public health experts, physicians, midwives, doulas, and community organizations is calling on California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos to pause the rollout of the state's recently released Maternal Health Blueprint 2024. The group of front-line leaders expressed concerns over the blueprint's potential to cause harm, particularly to Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, as well as residents in rural areas with limited access to reproductive care.
In a six-page letter addressed to the Surgeon General, more than 60 organizations and individuals urged the state to overhaul the blueprint, ensuring it reflects evidence-based, community-led strategies and addresses the root causes of maternal health inequities. The collective has requested a meeting with Dr. Ramos to discuss their concerns and develop a revised plan aimed at improving maternal health outcomes for all Californians.
Chief among the group's concerns is the blueprint's failure to address systemic racism, environmental exposures, and bias in healthcare—factors that disproportionately impact Black Californians. Although the blueprint acknowledges disparities, advocates argue that any strategies to improve maternal health outcomes will be insufficient without addressing these critical issues.
"We are concerned that the language in the blueprint perpetuates individual responsibility and mother-blame narratives while ignoring the systemic failures that have created this crisis," said Dana Sherrod, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice. "Black women, in particular, have been pushing against these harmful narratives for years, and this feels like a significant step backward."
The Maternal Health Blueprint, released last month as part of the Surgeon General's Strong Start & Beyond Initiative, aims to help reproductive-age individuals in California understand the potential health risks of future pregnancies and reduce maternal deaths in the state by 50% by December 2026. Dr. Ramos announced the initiative at an event in San Francisco, joined by First Partner Siebel Newsom.
The collective also pointed to the blueprint's disregard for existing successful maternal health initiatives led by Black women and people of color. They raised concerns about the lack of solutions such as expanding midwifery care access, postpartum home visits, and community-based support, all of which have proven effective in improving outcomes for birthing families. Additionally, the blueprint lacks provisions for funding community-based organizations already leading this critical work.
Advocates criticized the proposed risk assessment tools, noting that they could place an undue burden on individuals by shifting the responsibility for addressing maternal health issues onto them, rather than focusing on systemic reform. The blueprint also does not address the lack of access to care for high-risk conditions, clinician shortages, or the high number of maternity ward closures in California.
"While the blueprint acknowledges disparities in outcomes, it does not address the role of systemic racism or other factors such as environmental exposures and bias in healthcare, which especially impacts Black Californians," said Khefri Riley, Co-Founder and Director of Frontline Doulas. "Without tackling these issues, any strategies aimed at improving maternal health outcomes will fall short."
The collective is gathering feedback on the Blueprint and is encouraging community members and maternal child health advocates to share their thoughts and make their voices heard. Input can be submitted through an online form.
About the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice:
The California Coalition for Black Birth Justice (the Coalition) is a statewide organization committed to unifying and strengthening the Black Birth Justice movement in California. The Coalition brings birth equity and justice leaders across the state together to accelerate coordinated birth justice strategies. It is dedicated to serving as a statewide connector and convener, supporting the care and capacity of the Black birth justice workforce, and scaling systems change improvement efforts within healthcare institutions.The Coalition is fiscally sponsored by the Public Health Institute and was co-founded with the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative.
About Frontline Doulas:
Frontline Doulas is a community-based program that provides non-medical professional perinatal support services. Frontline Doulas range of community doula programs provide physical, emotional, informational, psychosocial and advocacy support to Black/African American families, during the pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period. Frontline Doulas, along with Diversity Uplifts, serve as the Los Angeles County Medi-Cal Doula Hub lead community agency.
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SOURCE California Coalition for Black Birth Justice
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