Black parents across the U.S. continue to face stark racial disparities in maternal health. During Black Maternal Health Week, heads of the city and state’s health departments and public hospitals hosted a panel of experts to raise awareness. Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman thanked every doula, health advocate, nurse, doctor, and midwife who worked to push recognition of the disparities and inequities.
Persistent Disparities
For the last 24 years, the overall rate of maternal mortality has remained steadily high in New York City, with extreme disparities between racial groups persisting. From 2011 to 2020, there was an increase in maternal deaths among Black women. Black women are still about five times as likely to experience a pregnancy-associated death as whites, based on a Department of Health report from 2018 to 2022. Hispanic women were about two times as likely to have a maternal death from 2016 to 2020.
NYS Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said these disparities are due to structural racism, implicit bias, and sexism. Dr. Wendy Wilcox, Chief Women’s Health Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals, noted that many pregnancy-related deaths occurring among Black mothers occur in the two-year post-partum period and not necessarily in a hospital, from issues such as late-stage pre-eclampsia, hemorrhage, mental health struggles, suicide, or domestic violence.
Policy Support and Initiatives
Multiple elected officials and advocates are working to ensure Black mothers have needed resources. At the state level, Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages, who chairs the Black, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, and Asian Caucus, has fought to expand doula coverage, improve access to donor breast milk, change maternal screening programs, and secure Medicaid coverage for lactation consultants. At the city level, Mayor and city council have been working to expand proven solutions including free baby baskets, integrating midwifery models into hospitals, universal childcare programs, and expanding newborn home visits. The city’s By My Side Doula program has served over 3,900 mothers over the last three years.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2026/04/16/closing-the-gap-local-leaders-tackle-black-maternal-health-crisis/