In Tennessee, a pregnancy shouldn’t be fatal – but Black women are three times more likely to die than white women from pregnancy-related causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Tennessee Department of Health has said the state saw 113 pregnancy-related deaths between 2017 and 2020.
Rolanda Lister, who teaches maternal fetal medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said Black and brown populations suffered worse from COVID, which was the most recent major event that contributed to maternal mortality. She added that some societal factors also become risks.
“Things that are not necessarily limited to the hospital system, even though that certainly is an issue – like, with the racism and the bias of providers, and the unequal treatment – that certainly contributes,” she said. “Unequal housing, employment, poverty – all of those things contribute.”
Lister said addressing maternal mortality will take work outside the hospital walls, at the community level. This week, Gov. Bill Lee announced applications are now open for the Tennessee Strong Families Grant Program, which allocates $20 million to groups that can help improve access to maternal healthcare.
Lister pointed out that in Tennessee, mental health complicates a significant portion of maternal deaths, including from suicide. The Tennessee Maternal Mortality Review Committee’s annual report found that some type of bias – and not necessarily only racial bias – was documented in the medical records of almost one-third of maternal deaths.
“The racial biases – that can lead to different decisions, with regard to increased Cesarean birth rates,” she said. “Black women tend to have a higher rate of Cesarean births, and that can lead to long-term complications.”
Lister recommended that when a person first finds out they’re expecting, they identify a trusted provider, whether it’s a doctor or midwife, to connect with throughout the pregnancy. She also suggested seeking out doula services, which can often improve a person’s birthing experience.
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