Biden Administration Plans Support for Black Mothers

By Angela Johnson, The Root

In his Proclamation of Black Maternal Health Week, President Biden stressed his commitment to policies and practices that make pregnancy and childbirth safer for Black women. We wanted to learn more about what his administration is doing to eliminate the racial disparities that exist in maternal healthcare.

The Root talks with Carole Johnson of Biden’s Administration:

So The Root spoke exclusively with Carole Johnson, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA focuses on health equity and care for people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically underserved.

Johnson shared the Biden administration’s commitment to eliminating racial disparities in maternal health care as well as her agency’s plan to provide better options to support women and children in traditionally underserved and under-resourced communities.

According to data from the CDC, Black women are more than three times as likely to die from a pregnancy related cause than white women. Johnson says that as policymakers, the administration is leaning into ways they can make a difference. “It is unacceptable that there are huge disparities in outcomes for Black women versus white women when it comes to maternal health,” she said. “As a nation, we have to do better.”

Keep reading to learn how Biden’s administration intends to help black mothers.

Learn about racism’s impact on black women and why black women are leaving the workforce.

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