; (2) American Indian and Alaska Native individuals are more than twice as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause as are White individuals; (3) Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native individuals with at least some college education are more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than are individuals of all other racial and ethnic backgrounds with less than a high school diploma; (4) Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native individuals are about twice as likely to suffer from severe maternal morbidity as are White individuals; (5) individuals who live in rural areas have a greater likelihood of severe maternal morbidity and mortality, compared to individuals who live in urban areas; (6) less than ½ of rural counties have a hospital with obstetric services; (7) counties with more Black and Hispanic residents and lower median incomes are less likely to have access to hospital obstetric services; (8) more than 50 percent of individuals who live in a rural area must travel more than 30 minutes to access hospital obstetric services, compared to 7 percent of individuals who live in urban areas; and (9) American Indian and Alaska Native individuals living in rural communities are twice as likely as their White counterparts to report receiving late or no prenatal care; Whereas pregnant individuals may be at increased risk for severe outcomes associated with COVID–19, as— (1) COVID–19 contributed to 25 percent of maternal deaths from 2020 to 2021; (2) pregnant individuals with symptomatic COVID–19 are more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit, receive invasive ventilation, and receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (commonly known as ECMO ) treatment, compared to nonpregnant individuals with symptomatic COVID–19; (3) pregnant individuals with symptomatic COVID–19 have a risk of dying that is 7 times higher than nonpregnant individuals with symptomatic COVID–19; and (4) pregnant individuals with COVID–19 are at risk for pre-term delivery and stillbirth