Article by:
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Expanding access to health care has always been one of my top priorities, and that includes addressing the high rates of maternal mortality in the United States – especially among Black women.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States at 69.9 deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2021. That’s almost three times the rate for white women in America. When you zoom in on Nevada, mortality rates for Black women were even worse, with among the lowest percentage of prenatal care.
It’s unacceptable that our country’s maternal mortality rate continues to rise, especially for mothers of color. Part of the problem is that doctors tend to not take Black women’s medical concerns as seriously. There also hasn’t been enough investment in the wellbeing of pregnant Black women and their babies. Women who need more care haven’t been able to get it, and not enough has been done to address that.
I’m working to change that. Together with my colleagues, I’m introducing the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to address this health crisis and help prevent the pregnancy-related deaths our Black communities have faced in Nevada and throughout the country.
This bill will take historic action to expand and improve access to maternal health care. It’s going to invest in programs to help moms directly, like housing, transportation, and nutrition for families, which will improve general wellbeing and help pregnant women get to their doctors when they need them. It’ll expand the number of perinatal caretakers to ensure that every mom in America gets maternal health care and support from people they know they can trust. And it’ll provide support for moms with mental health conditions and substance use disorders so they can deliver healthy babies.
Funding from this legislation will also go toward both local and national initiatives to help pregnant women get the care they need. It’ll dedicate funds to community-based organizations that are working with mothers in communities like ours as well as federal programs addressing maternal and infant health risks during public health emergencies. That’s not even the full list of the steps this legislation will allow us to take to keep pregnant women healthy.
This bill will help ensure Black women in Nevada and across the country stay healthy during pregnancy, deliver their babies safely, and get the care they need after giving birth. We have a long way to go, but this bill will make a lot of important progress.
We can do more to expand health care access for expectant mothers in this country. We must take action, and I will keep pushing for better care in our communities.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: As a member of the United States Senate, Cortez Masto has taken her fight for working Nevadans to Washington, D.C. Her position on four Senate Committees allows her to continue to advocate for the issues that matter most to Nevadans. She sits on the Committee on Finance; the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and the Committee on Indian Affairs. Cortez Masto currently serves as the chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee.
In Congress, Senator Cortez Masto remains a strong advocate for women and children and is working to pass legislation to strengthen women’s health care. She is a cosponsor of the Healthy Maternal and Obstetric Medicine (Healthy MOM) Act, which would ensure that mothers and their babies have access to the care they need, both before and after birth. Senator Cortez Masto continues to support our servicewomen by addressing the unique challenges they face as they transition from active duty. To ensure that they are empowered to access the full range of services they need to thrive, she has introduced the Servicewomen’s Health Transition Training Act of 2019, which would increase the knowledge of available VA health care resources like mental health assistance, maternity care, cancer screenings and casework management. If you would like additional information, please visit https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/.