City Council leaders on Thursday pushed for the adoption of state and city policies that would help end maternal mortality for expectant Black mothers.
Black New Yorkers are six times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes compared to white New Yorkers, with up to 60 losing their lives each year during or within a year from the end of pregnancy.
In recognition of Black Maternal Health Week, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, members of the Council’s Women’s Caucus, maternal health advocates and healthcare workers pushed for the fiscal year 2026 state budget to include bills that would allow licensed community health centers to be fully reimbursed when conducting services via telehealth, regardless of the location of the patient and provider; provide annual increases of Temporary Disability Insurance Benefits from January 1, 2026, through January 1, 2029, to achieve parity with Paid Family Leave (PFL); and require Medicaid to automatically authorize coverage for blood pressure monitors without a prescription for individuals who are pregnant.
“Our women-majority Council has taken the charge to fight maternal mortality and champion maternal health – this requires addressing the longstanding economic and racial disparities that make access to health care and stability out-of-reach for many low-income, Black women, and other women of color,” said Speaker Adams.
Health disparities in minority communities are a product of longstanding medical and structural racism that leave Black women, communities of color and low-income New Yorkers without access to adequate health care and medical treatment, elected officials and health advocates said.
The council members also pushed for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to find more funds in the fiscal year 2026 budget for the city's maternal health care programs and provide mental health programs at the city's public hospital system.
City Council Member Crystal Hudson said the high Black maternal mortality rate, which has more than doubled over the last 20 years, is a public health crisis.
“By ensuring the necessary information and care is readily available to mothers in need, we will put an end to this public health crisis," she said. "When Black mothers thrive, all mothers thrive.”
