RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF APRIL 11 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2025 AS "BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK" IN DELAWARE.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Pinkney & Sen. Townsend & Rep. Kamela Smith & Rep. Minor-Brown

Sens. Buckson, Cruce, Hansen, Hocker, Hoffner, Huxtable, Mantzavinos, Pettyjohn, Poore, Sokola, Wilson; Reps. Burns, Gorman, Griffith, Harris, Heffernan, Hilovsky, Morrison, Neal, Phillips, Snyder-Hall, Wilson-Anton, Yearick

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 45

RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF APRIL 11 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2025 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 4 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, Delaware’s infant mortality rate (IMR) is 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is above the national average of 5.5; and

WHEREAS, at 11.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, the Delaware Black IMR is 3 times higher than the White IMR of 3.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births; and

WHEREAS, the Hispanic infant mortality rate of 4.1 is higher than the White IMR of 3.4; and

WHEREAS, irrespective of the place of residence, the 5-year Black (non-Hispanic) IMR was:

4.9 times the White (non-Hispanic) rate in City of Wilmington;

3.3 times the White (non-Hispanic) rate in Balance of New Castle County;

3 times the White (non-Hispanic) rate in Kent County; and

3.3 times the White (non-Hispanic) in Sussex County; and

WHEREAS, the preterm birth rate is highest for non-Hispanic Black infants, at 13.3; and

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware ranks 34th in the nation for highest prevalence of infant mortality; 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 healthcare 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 Black Maternal Health Awareness Week in the State of Delaware and to annually invite community members and healthcare professionals, during this week, to participate in appropriate activities relating to Black maternal health, safety, and mortality.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that we recognize April 11-17, 2025 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.

SYNOPSIS

This Resolution recognizes the week of April 11-17, 2025 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.

Author: Senator Pinkney