Employing Telehealth to Boost Maternal Health Equity

Being Black and pregnant in America can be a deadly combination. With Black women being twice as likely to die during or soon after childbirth than white women, interventions to improve Black maternal outcomes are urgently needed. Some healthcare organizations are turning to virtual care tools to close the care gaps facing the Black birthing population.Data highlights a shocking chasm between Black and white pregnancy outcomes in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021, which is 2.6 times the rate for white women.The factors driving this disparity include various social determinants of health (SDOH) barriers to maternal healthcare, such as transportation and income. One California-based health system seeks to break down these barriers through virtual healthcare.

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Access to prenatal care, which encompasses prenatal and postnatal care, is essential for maternal and infant well-being.The prenatal period ranges from the moment a person is pregnant to when they give birth, while the postnatal, or postpartum, period extends from childbirth to a few years after, explained Uche, who is also a second-year medical student at UC Davis, and co-founder of the Birth By Us app that offers pregnancy and postpartum care resources for Black birthing people.Within the realm of research, the postpartum period ends a year after childbirth, but in real life, this period can extend further.

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