The Importance of Black Maternal Health Week (#BMHW23) & Advocacy for Family-Building and Fertility Care.
This year marks the 6th annual Black Maternal Health Week (#BMHW23), a crucial event that brings awareness to the challenges faced by black families in the area of family-building and fertility care. As we commemorate this important week, it's essential to recognize the need for inclusive care for black mothers, which includes culturally competent care, representation of black healthcare providers, and improved access to affordable insurance coverage for fertility treatments and maternal care. At Stork Club, we are committed to advocating for these changes to ensure that all families have access to the care they need to build the families they desire.
Challenges faced by Black Families:
Black families often face unique challenges when it comes to family-building and fertility care. Structural racism, discrimination, and health disparities disproportionately affect black communities, leading to disparities in maternal health outcomes. Black women are more likely to experience pregnancy-related complications, maternal morbidity, and mortality compared to white women. These disparities are multifactorial and result from a combination of social, economic, and healthcare system factors.
Access to affordable insurance coverage for fertility treatments and maternal care is also a challenge for black families. Fertility treatments can be expensive, and insurance coverage for these treatments varies widely. Black families, who may face systemic economic disparities, may struggle to afford the high costs of fertility treatments, including in-vitro fertilization (IVF), surrogacy, and other reproductive procedures. Lack of insurance coverage can be a barrier to accessing necessary care for family-building and fertility.
Actions to Ensure Inclusive Care:
To address the challenges faced by black mothers in the area of family-building and fertility care, there are several actions that can be taken to ensure inclusive care:
- Implementing culturally competent care: Healthcare providers should receive education and training on cultural competency, including understanding the unique challenges and experiences of black families. This includes addressing bias, discrimination, and mistrust, and providing patient-centered care that respects the cultural beliefs, values, and practices of black families.
- Increasing representation of black healthcare providers: Steps should be taken to increase the representation of black healthcare providers in reproductive health and fertility care. This includes promoting diversity in the medical field, addressing systemic barriers to entry and advancement for black healthcare providers, and creating supportive environments that foster diversity and inclusion.
- Improving access to affordable insurance coverage: Efforts should be made to improve access to affordable insurance coverage for fertility treatments and maternal care. This includes advocating for comprehensive insurance coverage for fertility treatments, reducing out-of-pocket costs, and addressing systemic economic disparities that may limit access to care.
- Advocacy and awareness: Increased advocacy and awareness are essential to driving change in the area of family-building and fertility care for black families. This includes advocating for policy changes that promote inclusive care, raising awareness about the challenges faced by black families, and promoting initiatives and programs that promote overall fertility wellness & inclusion.
Stork Club continues to work to create an end-to-end family building and reproductive support that's equitable and inclusive. Want to learn more and schedule a demo? Click here.
Each week Stork Club tackles industry insights on fertility, workplace inclusion & DEI initiatives.
