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‘Black women deserve better’ Pa. Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis says of maternal healthcare
Pennsylvania Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis joined lawmakers and advocates in Harrisburg on Thursday, April 13 to recognize Black Maternal Health Week.
Maternal mortality crisis among top concerns for state lawmakers, Shapiro admin
Black Maternal Health Week, which runs April 11-17, is a national advocacy week aimed at bringing awareness to the healthcare disparities and implicit biases Black birthing people experience. It also aims to address the national maternal mortality crisis, which disproportionately impacts birthing people of color.
The Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which reviews all maternal deaths in the commonwealth, found in 2022 that Pennsylvania had an overall pregnancy-associated mortality ratio (PAMR) of 82 deaths per 100,000 live births. Non-Hispanic Blacks had the highest PAMR of 163 per 100,000 live births.
“This is a human rights issue,” Holmes Davis said. “Black women deserve to be safe, seen, heard, supported and empowered through their birthing process.”
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