V.P. Harris: Here’s What We’re Doing to Protect Black Mothers

Speaking to her sisters at the annual Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. convention, Harris touted a new White House plan to tackle the Black maternal mortality rate.

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Happy Founders’ Day to my beloved Sorors of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated! // United States House of Representatives - Office of Terri Sewell // Public domain // Wikimedia Commons

By Jennifer Porter Gore, Word in Black 

Addressing an issue important to Black women, Vice President Kamala Harris rolled out a new set of national health and safety standards for hospitals that she says can help protect new mothers and stem the maternal mortality crisis.

Speaking at the national convention of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. — a sorority in which she is a member — Harris said the new standards establish clear and proper procedures for hospitals and clinics that deliver newborn babies. It also requires those facilities to stock enough specific medical supplies for any type of emergencies that a birthing mother might face.

At the same time, hospitals must have clear procedures for transferring maternity patients to other facilities if the facility can’t give patients necessary care. Hospital staff also must be trained annually on evidence-based maternal health practices.