Black women in New York City are nearly eight times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy-related causes. Four of the five community districts with the city’s highest rates of pregnancy-associated deaths are in Brooklyn.
That statistic should outrage everyone in Brooklyn.
Maternal health disparities are not the result of biology or individual choices, but the product of decades of structural racism, unequal access to quality maternity care and implicit bias that leaves Black women ignored when they report pain or complications.
We take pride in calling New York the greatest city in the world. We celebrate our resilience, our diversity, and the neighborhoods that make this city unlike any other. We fiercely defend our hustle, our traditions and our sports teams. But our pride must extend beyond our culture and baseball caps. We must take pride in protecting the women who bring the next generation of New Yorkers into the world.
More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are considered preventable. If we are serious about reducing maternal mortality in Brooklyn, we must move beyond acknowledging these well documented disparities and invest in proven solutions. One of the most effective interventions is expanding access to community-based doulas.
Doulas are trained professionals who provide continuous emotional, physical, and educational support before, during, and after childbirth. They do not replace physicians or midwives, but rather stand beside mothers making sure someone is advocating solely for them. Doulas make sure mothers understand their options, their pain is properly acknowledged and communicated effectively with their healthcare team and remind mothers they are not alone.
For Black women who have historically been less likely to have their concerns taken seriously, that advocacy can be lifesaving. Research consistently shows that continuous labor support from doulas is associated with fewer cesarean deliveries, shorter labors, reduced use of pain medication, healthier newborns and better outcomes.
In 2024, New York took an important first step by expanding Medicaid coverage for doula services during pregnancy and through one year postpartum. However, passing a policy is not the same as putting it into practice. Families cannot benefit from a service if there are too few doulas to meet the need, reimbursement rates fail to support a sustainable workforce or hospitals are not prepared to fully integrate doulas into maternity care.
New York laid the foundation, but the work is far from finished. Expanding Medicaid coverage addresses one barrier to care, but more action is needed to ensure that every Black mother has an advocate in a healthcare system still working to overcome the legacy of racial bias.
I have seen what happens when a state invests not only in expanding coverage, but in the expanding workforce behind it. In 2022, after Michigan expanded Medicaid coverage for doulas, I worked with the Region 9 Perinatal Quality Collaborative, where we helped train 30 brand-new doulas at no cost. The PQC prepared them to begin serving families in six Michigan counties within the year. Policy alone does not save lives. People do.
New York should build on its momentum by investing in our people who will answer the calls. That means increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates, funding free community-based doula training programs, strengthening partnerships between hospitals and local doula organizations and recruiting doulas who reflect Brooklyn.
We call New York the greatest city in the world because of the people who build it, strengthen it and call it home. Today's mothers are raising tomorrow's New Yorkers. If we truly believe in New York, then let's prove it by making sure every mother has the chance to watch her child write their own New York story.
