Despite efforts to bridge the racial gap in health care, disparities remain. That’s especially true in the American South, particularly for pregnant women.
In South Carolina, for instance, Black women were more than four times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause compared to their white counterparts. Even more, when compared to other developed countries, like Australia, where there were just three maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021.
That data is from reporting from KFF Health News, where reporter Lauren Sausser has focused her reporting on this issue. She joins us to discuss.
In addition, we’re joined by two medical professionals, OB-GYN Dr. Omar Young, and Mecklenburg Public Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington, to discuss the state of reproductive health care in North Carolina and what can be done to address mistrust in medicine, especially in communities of color.
GUESTS:
Lauren Sausser, South Carolina correspondent for KFF Health News
Dr. Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg County public health director
Dr. Omar Young, fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and vice chair of education in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at UNC-Chapel Hill
