#254 Supporting Black Maternal Health
In the United States, the rate of pregnancy-related death is 3-4 times higher for black people than for white people. This is due to a wide range of factors, such as having fewer hospitals in black communities and individual racial bias on behalf of healthcare professionals. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-0411-maternal-health-20190409-story.html
Location
City-wide
Timeline
Jun 28, 2022
Today
Sep 25, 2019
Created
Why it matters
Everyone deserves access to quality healthcare. No one should have to worry that they are or their baby is at risk due to their race.
What does "good" look like?
Good looks like reducing the black maternal mortality rate in Baltimore City by connecting expectant parents with providers that will provide them with unbiased medical care.
How could technology solve this?
We need to provide visibility into Baltimore's medical systems, providing data that highlights the safest and most proactive maternity wards for black families. An application could provide insight into such data, and could enable users to report racially-biased hospitals and practitioners, upvote those that provide good care, and provide reviews of their experiences. This database created by USA Today offers insight into the maternal morbidity rate of 33 hospitals in Maryland (including 6 in Baltimore), and could be incorporated into a tech solution: https://www.usatoday.com/maternal-mortality-harm-hospital-database/