DVIDS – News – Working together to improve black maternal health [Beuzz]

By Aïcha Lomax
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
“Black Maternal Health Week reminds us that so many families experience pain, neglect and loss during what should be one of the most joyous times of their lives. This is an urgent call to action,” states a proclamation signed by President Joe Biden on the occasion of Black Maternal Health Week 2023, observed April 11-17.
“Black women in America are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. This is in addition to the fact that American women die at a higher rate from pregnancy-related causes than in any other developed country,” the presidential proclamation added.
“Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) is a mark of commitment to safe, high quality, equitable, culturally diverse and inclusive care as a leader in advanced childbirth health care” , said Captain (Dr) Kelly Elmore. , WRNMMC Chief of Staff and an OB/GYN.
The WRNMMC is one of the largest birthing centers in the military health system and delivers nearly 1,200 babies each year. WRNMMC is also a referral center for high-risk pregnancies and complicated deliveries.
The Mother Infant Care Center (MICC) at WRNMMC offers lactation consultants, antepartum testing, a certified nurse midwife program, and doulas. Labor, delivery and recovery take place in private delivery rooms.
But despite the safe, quality care provided at WRNMMC, each year in the United States as a whole, too many women die in pregnancy or experience maternal health issues. “One in 5 women in America suffers from maternal mental health issues like postpartum depression, anxiety, or substance use disorders, so we launched the Maternal Mental Health Helpline (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS), a confidential, 24-hour, toll-free hotline,” Biden continued.
The president encourages people to “thank the extraordinary maternal health staff, who serve their patients and their families every day. And let us join in a common cause to end the tragedy of maternal mortality once and for all.
According to the American College of OBGYNs, several factors, including socioeconomic status, maternal education, health insurance coverage, access to prenatal and postnatal care, and health care services, contribute to the disparity. pregnancy survival rates between racial groups.
A 2021 study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) titled “Race Matters: Maternal Morbidity in the Military Health System,” hypothesized that universal access to health care, as seen in the military health system, leads to similar rates of maternal morbidity regardless of race or ethnicity.
“Equal access to health care and similar socioeconomic status in the military health care system do not explain the observed health care disparities in maternal morbidity experienced by black women with children in This study identifies health care disparities in severe maternal morbidity among active duty military personnel and their families,” the study concludes.
“For physicians to be successful, they need to be able to engage with patients from different backgrounds,” said Dr. Logan Peterson, OB/GYN at WRNMMC, who is also director of clinical placements for OB/GYN for the University of Services. in uniform. of Health Sciences (USU).
“Patients need to be educated and empowered to take control of their care plan,” added Robyn Daniel, MICC Nurse Coordinator at WRNMMC.
“Better support for women and expectant mothers will continue to yield better outcomes in terms of healthy births, healthy mothers, and retention in the military through their childbearing years,” shared Lt. Col. of the Air Force (Dr.) Krista Mehlhaff, chief of the department of fetal medicine at WRNMMC.
Our military public health is critical to the preparedness of our global military forces and their families,” Elmore concluded.
More information about black motherhood is available on social media at #maternalhealthawareness, #maternalheathawarenessday2023 and #BMHW23.
WRNMMC, the world’s first integrated military medical center and where the nation heals our heroes, strives to provide extraordinary experiences for patients, families and staff while advancing tomorrow’s healthcare through education. , innovation and research. For more information about WRNMMC, please visit us at http://walterreed.tricare.mil.