The coronavirus exacerbated the effects of medical racism already baked into the United States health care system, leading to a spike in Black maternal mortality rates between 2020 and 2021, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals. The recent statistics, though bleak, come as no surprise to maternal health experts, who […]
Health
Posted inDangerous Deliveries, Health
Black Women Are Losing Access to Maternity Care. This Law Is Partly to Blame.
Capital B’s “Dangerous Deliveries” investigation examines the uneven distribution of maternal care deserts and poor birth outcomes in Georgia, one of the most dangerous states for childbirth. Read the full project here. CUTHBERT, Ga. — Shayanna Alford called 911 when her water broke. She lives in this quiet town of 3,000 people, tucked in the state’s southwest region. […]
Posted inDangerous Deliveries, Health
Haunted By Trauma: The Black Parents Who Nearly Died In Childbirth
Capital B’s “Dangerous Deliveries” investigation examines the uneven distribution of maternal care deserts and poor birth outcomes in Georgia, one of the most dangerous states for childbirth. Read the full project here. Georgia is one of the most dangerous states in which to give birth, and as the number of people who die remains high, so does the […]
Posted inDangerous Deliveries, Health
The Story Behind ‘Dangerous Deliveries’
Capital B’s “Dangerous Deliveries” investigation examines the uneven distribution of maternal care deserts and poor birth outcomes in Georgia, one of the most dangerous states for childbirth. Read the full project here. Awareness of the United States’ maternal health care crisis has been growing. Lawmakers have been campaigning on bold policy change aimed at reducing the number of […]
Posted inDangerous Deliveries, Health
Black Families, Tell Us About Your Childbirth Experiences
Capital B is exploring why Black people are more likely to die and experience severe health complications related to childbirth, an issue we highlighted in our “Dangerous Deliveries” project. As we continue this coverage, we want to speak with Black parents across the United States about their pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum experiences. Your responses will […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
What We Know About Gas Stoves and Black Asthma Rates
Black Americans are 40% more likely to have asthma than white Americans. Black children are five times more likely to be hospitalized for the chronic lung condition. And while asthma-related deaths are decreasing overall, they remain most common among Black Americans. These disparities make the contentious debate over banning gas stoves a particularly important one […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
The Medical System Has Failed Black Americans for Centuries. Could Reparations be the Answer?
This story published in collaboration with Vox, part of a series on reparations. In 1972, two social workers set Debra Blackmon’s sterilization in motion. The primary diagnosis in her medical records read: mental retardation severe. Soon, Blackmon would undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, a procedure, sanctioned by the local government, to remove her uterus and […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
Are New Medical Treatments Safe and Effective for Black Americans?
As the triple threat of COVID-19, RSV, and influenza surges this winter, and new treatments and vaccinations are being developed and administered across the country, attention around the importance of clinical trial participation has resurfaced. Who are these treatments safe and effective for? Black participation in clinical research historically has been and remains lower than […]
Posted inCOVID-19, Health
Holiday Travel Is Risky This Year. Here’s How to Stay Safe During the ‘Tripledemic.’
Winter viruses have been surging in recent weeks, in the midst of the year’s busiest travel season. As families prepare to crowd onto planes and gather at holiday dinner tables, overcrowded emergency rooms from Philadelphia to Los Angeles are grappling with hours-long wait times and record-high patient admissions. The rush has been largely fueled by […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity, Partner Content
Racial Disparities in Lung Cancer Start With Research
During a routine visit to the Good Samaritan Clinic in Morganton, North Carolina, in 2018, Herbert Buff casually mentioned that he sometimes had trouble breathing. He was 55 years old and a decades-long smoker. So the doctor recommended that Buff schedule time on a 35-foot-long bus operated by the Levine Cancer Institute that would roll […]