HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

150th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 29

RECOGNIZING APRIL 11-17, 2019 AS BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK IN DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, preventable maternal mortality is a human rights crisis in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. is 1 of only 13 countries in the world in which pregnancy-related deaths are on the rise; and

WHEREAS, Black women in the U.S. suffer from life-threatening pregnancy complications twice as often as White women, and they die from pregnancy-related complications four times as often as White women; and

WHEREAS, racial disparities in pregnancy-related deaths across all income and education levels show that Black women in the U.S. are at a higher risk for poor outcomes than White women; and

WHEREAS, at 12.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, the Delaware Black infant mortality rate is 2.3 times higher than the White infant mortality rate of 5.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births; and

WHEREAS, Delaware is committed to the health and wellbeing of women and families in our state; and

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware—through the efforts of the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium, the Delaware Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and many other stakeholders—works to promote various promising efforts such as the OB Hemorrhage Initiative to reduce maternal and infant mortality, morbidity, and disparities; and improve public and professional awareness of the issues related to improving maternal health outcomes, women’s experiences at childbirth, and critical postpartum care, especially for women of color; and

WHEREAS, Delaware recognizes that every woman deserves quality, affordable, culturally respectful maternal health care and reaffirms a statewide commitment to reducing maternal mortality, morbidity, and racial health disparities among Delaware women; and

WHEREAS, to tackle the problem of maternal mortality, Delaware is committed to developing a multi-faceted approach to addressing persistent and dire health disparities, and the social determinants of health, the conditions under which people live, work, and play; and

WHEREAS, to improve Delaware maternal and infant health outcomes we must prioritize Black women’s health and lives and commit to taking meaningful action; and

WHEREAS, all Delaware women have the right to safe and respectful maternal health care that supports healthy pregnancies and births; and

WHEREAS, in order to improve public and professional awareness of the issues related to Black maternal health and mortality, and to promote the various promising efforts to reduce Black maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities, it is both reasonable and appropriate to recognize the first annual “Black Maternal Health Awareness Week April 11-19, 2019” in the State of Delaware and to annually invite community members and health care professionals, during this week, to participate in appropriate activities relating to Black maternal health, safety and mortality.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 150th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that we recognize April 11-17, 2019 as Black Maternal Health Awareness week in Delaware.

SYNOPSIS

This resolution recognizes April 11-17, 2019 as Black Maternal Health Awareness Week in Delaware.