Maternity Ward Shuttering In The Wake of Tragic Death of Black Mother

Jessica Washington, The Root

Centinela Hospital Center in Inglewood, California, is closing down its maternity ward amid allegations that staff negligence contributed to the death of a young Black mother.

In January, April Valentine, 31, entered the California hospital to give birth to her daughter — only she never made it out. She died during her delivery from a blood clot, according to the coroner’s report. Last month, her family filed a lawsuit against the hospital, claiming that their negligence contributed to Valentine’s untimely death.

Valentine’s story is sadly far too common. In California, Black-birthing people die at over three times the rate of Asian, Hispanic/Latina, and white-birthing people from pregnancy-related causes. The rates are similar nationally and appear to be trending in the wrong direction.

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The hospital was fined $75,000 after after the California Department of Public Health found that a string “of deficient practices” by staff “resulted in the death” of a pregnant patient. Although, the patient wasn’t named, “patient 1″ appears to be April Valentine.

The fact that the maternity ward is closing doesn’t mean her family is giving up their fight for justice. The @Justice4april page has continued to post about her death, and family members and supporters have continued to speak publicly about her tragic loss.

Check out the full article.

Black maternal health trends are not inspiring.

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