Category: News & Press

“It takes a village to raise a child. But first, that village must safely deliver a healthy baby to a healthy mom-and that takes all of us. We must do better. Too many moms in the U.S., especially Black moms, don’t get the maternal healthcare they need and deserve, too many moms die or nearly […]

Expectant moms who use Tricare in the U.S. will have access to the services of a doula and/or lactation consultant under a new program being rolled out by the Defense Department in 2022. The Pentagon announced Friday that it plans to launch a five-year pilot starting Jan. 1 to examine whether these birthing and breastfeeding consultants can […]

The Build Back Better Act is a once-in-generation opportunity to create jobs, cut taxes and lower costs for families across the country by ensuring that corporate bad actors and the wealthiest multimillionaires pay their fair share. This historic legislation includes critical investments that uphold a fundamental principle: that in America, every family has a right […]

WASHINGTON – In a letter to President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Representatives Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Alma Adams (NC-12), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty (OH-03) pushed to ensure that investments from the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act are included in full in the final Build Back Better package. Members also urged the leaders to build on the critical progress made through the American Rescue […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends urgent action to increase Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination among people who are pregnant, recently pregnant (including those who are lactating), who are trying to become pregnant now, or who might become pregnant in the future. CDC strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccination either before or during pregnancy […]

The 244 undersigned organizations, dedicated to the health and well-being of birthing people and their families, write to express our enthusiastic support and appreciation for the maternal health provisions included in the Committee on Energy and Commerce print of the Build Back Better Act. We appreciate the Committee’s demonstrated commitment to addressing our nation’s maternal […]

With the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine underway, ensuring equitable and rapid distribution to the U.S. population will be important for mitigating the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic for people of color, preventing widening racial health disparities going forward, and achieving broad population immunity. Reflecting underlying inequities, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected American Indian and […]

Each year, 700 women in the United States die as a result of pregnancy-related complications. In fact, the United States has the highest maternal mortality ratio of all high-income countries—16.7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. For Indigenous/Alaskan Native women, that number is even higher: Indigenous/Alaska Natives are 2.3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than their […]

The Energy & Commerce Committee advanced critical investments from the Momnibus, including funding to address social determinants of maternal health, grow and diversify the perinatal workforce, and support community-based organizations working to promote maternal health equity Black Maternal Health Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12) applauded the Energy and Commerce Committee for advancing critical investments from […]