Title: Why are black women at such high risk of dying from pregnancy complications? | American Heart Association
Headings: Why are black women at such high risk of dying from pregnancy complications?
Published: February 20, 2019
Why are black women at such high risk of dying from pregnancy complications?
American Heart Association News Stories

Content: Williams was gasping for breath and recognized that blood clots were blocking one or more of the arteries in her lungs. "Because of my medical history with this problem, I live in fear of this situation," she wrote in an essay about the issue last February. " So, when I fell short of breath, I didn't wait a second to alert the nurses." But medical employees initially dismissed her concerns, wasting crucial time before her diagnosis and the treatment she specifically requested. Williams' story illustrates the biggest problem facing black women, even when they are successful and affluent, said Dr. Allison Bryant Mantha, vice chair of quality, equity and safety in the obstetrics and gynecology department of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Racism affects so many things before the patient even gets to the clinical encounter," she said. " Both implicit bias and structural racism affect how women are cared for in the health care system." The cards are stacked against them once they enter that system, she said, pointing to the report, "Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care," published by a division of the National Academy of Sciences. The report's researchers found that, among other factors, bias and stereotyping regarding people of color can impact the level of health care they receive.