October 20, 2022
Inequities and SDOH
  • A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that COVID-19 caused an increase in maternal deaths in 2020 and 2021, contributing to 25 percent of maternal deaths. The rise in maternal deaths affected Black and Hispanic mothers more during this period than White women. The maternal death rate for Black women rose from 44 per 100,000 live births in 2019 to about 69 in 2021. For Hispanic women, the maternal death rate increased from 12.6 per 100,000 live births in 2019 to 27.5 in 2021. In comparison, the maternal death rate for white women increased from about 18 to 26 deaths per 100,000 live births during the same time period. (Articles here, here, here, and here)