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Confronting racism is essential & necessary to rebuild a resilient health care system in the wake of COVID-19. A new report from @USGAO shows AGAIN that pregnancy-related deaths differ by race, laying bare structural inequities. #BMHW20 THREAD 1/6 https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-20-248
Specifically @USGAO shows that, compared to White folks, Black people were more than three times as likely to die, and Indigenous people were more than two times as likely to die around the time of childbirth. 2/6
From 2007-2016, the leading cause of death listed for Black folks was cardiovascular conditions; for American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian/Pacific Islander folks, it was hemorrhage; for Hispanic folks, it was infection. 3/6
And, half of all pregnancy-related deaths were related to cardiovascular conditions, infection, and hemorrhage—the majority of which are preventable. So let's prevent them, and do it in a racism-conscious way. 4/6
BUT THIS IS KEY: an important word is missing from this report. That word is “violence,” which caused more maternal deaths in Louisiana than any one obstetric condition, according to research from @doccrearperry & @poojakmehta 5/6 https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2020-02-03/homicide-a-top-cause-of-maternal-death-in-louisiana
Violence is also a core feature of structural racism. As we engage efforts to keep moms alive, let us never forget the imperative to address the ALL of the things that are killing them and the structures that produce inequities. END 6/6
