Maternal Health Awareness Month

As July is coming to a close in the state of Virginia, this means that it is also the end of the first-ever Maternal Health Awareness Month. Maternal Health is the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum stage. The goal of Maternal health awareness is to encompass the different health care ideals of family planning, preconception, prenatal and postnatal care in order to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality.

When the General Assembly met during the 2020 legislative session, they enacted the House Joint Resolution 111, which states that July be recognized as Maternal Health Awareness Month in Virginia. The resolution acknowledges that there are racial disparities in maternal health and that policy-based action needs to take place.

Previously, in June of 2019, Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill that permitted him to appoint a Maternal Mortality Review Team and stated that his goal was to eliminate racial disparities somewhere between the years of 2025 and 2026. This is just one way, however, that we are working to stop racial disparities in the health care system in Virginia.

The importance of Maternal Health Awareness Month is to create dialogue and change throughout the commonwealth surrounding racial biases in the Maternal Health field. In Virginia, women of color are 1.9 times more likely to die of pregnancy complications when using the same procedures as used on their white counterparts.

So what can we do to create this change? The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis has given the following recommendations:

• Reduce institutionalized racism in medical settings by ensuring facilities in Virginia are educating and hiring more Black medical professionals. In addition, policymakers can mandate regular racial bias education and training focused on patient-centered care within existing curricula and for current clinicians.

• Study the impact of policy on communities of color. Rather than solely focusing on the fiscal impact of a policy, each policy recommendation from the Maternal Mortality Review Team should include a racial impact assessment to determine anticipated impacts to women of color and Black women in particular.

• Establish a state paid family and medical leave program so that people can take extended time off to care for themselves and their loved ones after giving birth, without risking their financial security.

• Address the conditions which impact health. Black women live at the intersection of racism and sexism, and both have a profound impact on daily life. Addressing inequalities in areas such as education, housing, transportation, food access, and working to strengthen opportunities for economic prosperity are crucial for improving health, including maternal health.

Finally, we should all strive to ensure that Women of color have the same resources and opportunities to survive the pre and post-natal period of their lives as white counterparts.

This piece was written by Abby Dotson, one of GRVA’s Education Co-Directors. As a passionate feminist & advocate for gender equality, Abby understands the importance of maternal health in our cause!