What we're reading on racism in healthcare and maternal outcomes

We stand with our Black team members, patients, providers, and community members—and against injustice, violence, and racism in America. Since we first spoke out nearly two weeks ago, we’ve been learning and listening, and we’ve started to take steps to put meaningful action behind our words. We look forward to sharing our plans with you and hope that you’ll join us as we continue to speak out against injustice.

In the spirit of learning and inspired by some of the resource-sharing coming from others, we wanted to share some of the articles and resources we’ve been collecting, reading, and talking about internally on racism, bias, healthcare, and equitable outcomes, especially for Black mothers—who are 2.5x more likely to die during childbirth than white women (National Center for Health Statistics). This is not intended to be an authoritative list, but to help those who may be looking for resources to learn more—as we are. Please share with us in the comments any additional articles or resources we should add here; we’ll add to this space as we continue this conversation.

Our reading list on racism and healthcare

On racial disparities in maternal health and birth outcomes

CMQCC birth equity resources

California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative

SMFM: Commitment to health equity resources hub

Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, May 2020

Social determinants of health sway care access, maternal morbidity

Sara Heath, Patient Engagement Hit, May 2020

Skin tone matters: Racial microaggressions and delayed prenatal care

American Journal of Preventive Medicine, September 2019

The black midwives changing care for women of color - photo essay

Alice Proujansky, The Guardian, July 2019

To prevent women dying from childbirth, first stop blaming them

Monica R. McLemore, Scientific American, May 1, 2019

Eliminating racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality

Center for American Progress, May 2019

Reducing disparities in severe maternal morbidity and mortality

Elizabeth A. Howell, Clin Obstet Gynecol, June 2018

TED Talk: How does racism affect pregnant women and babies?

Miriam Zoila Pérez, March 2018

How does race impact birth outcomes?

Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies, February 2018

ACOG: Racial and ethnic disparities in obstetrics and gynecology

American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Reaffirmed 2018, Published December 2015

On black motherhood

The unbearable grief of black mothers

A. Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez, Vox, May 28, 2020

I’m due to give birth today but all I can think about is George Floyd

Latona Giwa, HuffPost, May 31, 2020

As a black mother, my parenting is always political

Dani McClain, The Nation, March 27, 2019

On racism in healthcare

Race and medicine: The harm that comes from mistrust

Austin Frakt, New York Times, January 13, 2020

Racism, inequality, and health care for African Americans

Jamila Taylor, The Century Foundation, December 19, 2019

Recognizing and reacting to microaggressions in medicine and surgery

JAMA Surg, July 10, 2019

eBook: Racism: Science and tools for the public health professional

Chandra L. Ford, et. al., published August 2019

Structural racism and supporting black lives—The role of health professionals

The New England Journal of Medicine via Johns Hopkins University, October 2016

On racial inequities and COVID-19

The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on black health care workers in the U.S.

Adia Harvey Wingfield, Harvard Business Review, May 14, 2020

Inequity in crisis standards of care

The New England Journal of Medicine, May 13, 2020

ACOG: Addressing health equity during the COVID-19 pandemic

American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, May 11, 2020

What the racial data show

Ibram X. Kendi, The Atlantic, April 6, 2020

Coronavirus is not the ‘great equalizer’ - race matters

University of Toronto News, April 2020