Access to adequate health care and nutrition is critical for healthier pregnancies, improved birth outcomes for low-income women and infants, and healthier growth and development for young children. The pandemic has exacerbated the disparities in the nation’s health care system and rates of food insecurity.
According to Centers for Disease Control, 3 out of 5 pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S.—or about 60%—are preventable. Yet the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among its peer countries—and the rate is rising. Additionally, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy or childbirth than white women. Further, the pandemic and existing inequities have led to certain communities struggling with hunger more than others. Black and Latino adults are more than twice (16 percent) as likely as white adults (6 percent) to report that their households do not have enough to eat.Please join the Alliance to End Hunger and the Black Women’s Health Imperative for a panel discussion focused on Investing in Maternal and Child Health in the United States. The event will include an expert panel that will examine the current state of maternal and child health and the strategies and policy levers needed to address the poor outcomes we see in the United States.