Recognizing Black Maternal Health Week: Confronting Disparities and Elevating Community Solutions in Ohio

By Dominique Johnson, Policy Associate

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Ohio has long faced an infant and maternal health crisis, where Black mothers and children repeatedly experience worse outcomes in terms of pregnancy and birth complications, postpartum recovery, and perinatal mental health.[i] Black Maternal Health Week is an important time to recognize glaring disparities in health outcomes for Black mothers while elevating research and effective solutions that promote greater equity, improve outcomes, and save lives of those who are most disproportionately impacted by the failures in our state’s healthcare systems.

As a statewide, nonpartisan research and advocacy organization, Groundwork Ohio champions high-quality early learning and healthy development strategies from the prenatal period to age five that lay a strong foundation for Ohio kids, families, and communities.  We rely on data-driven solutions that fuse the voices and experiences of families with policy expertise to improve our state’s systems and drive investment during the earliest stages of life that set the stage for a lifetime.

Our organization recently completed a thorough analysis of maternal and young child outcomes in Groundwork Ohio’s 2025 Early Childhood Data Dashboard. This analysis demonstrated Ohio’s poor performance in pregnancy and birthing outcomes for Black women. Our state has seen persistent disparities in severe maternal morbidity in Black mothers linked to a multifaceted continuum of factors – factors outside of any one person’s control. The health of Black women is strongly influenced by their community, neighborhood and build environment, implicit bias and communication practices from health care providers, and systemic factors that lead to worse outcomes, including our health care institutions, accessibility of quality care, and social and political policies.[ii]

Nearly one in four pregnant women in Ohio did not receive early prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy in 2022, with pregnant Black women far less likely to have access to timely prenatal care.[iii] The story remains the same for access to postpartum care, which provides critical check-ups to ensure that new mothers are healthy, emotionally well, and aids in early detection of any serious or life-threatening health issues. While 91.6% of overall Ohio moms can access postpartum care, only 87.9% of Black women have access.[iv]

Systemic inequities and a lack of access to quality healthcare play a significant role in these disparities. Black women are more likely to enter pregnancy with pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, all of which increase the risk of pregnancy complications. Vitamin D deficiency, more common in the Black community, further exacerbates these health risks. These factors contribute to a significantly higher likelihood of being diagnosed with preeclampsia and experiencing more severe outcomes than white women.

According to the March of Dimes report, the preterm birth rate among Black mothers was 14.7%, compared to 9.8% among non-Hispanic white mothers.[v] Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant mortality and can lead to long-term health challenges for children. Beyond birth outcomes, Black women are 1.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts. These tragic outcomes are not only due to medical conditions but also reflect systemic racism, implicit bias within healthcare settings, and socio-economic barriers that limit access to high-quality care.

These challenges do not exist in a vacuum. Our systemic shortcomings impact individual mothers, creating a ripple effect that touches families, relationships, and the life expectancy of their infants. Ohio’s infant mortality rate remains far too high, with an overall rate of 7.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, with a large and appalling racial disparity. Data indicates Ohio’s Black infants are dying at a rate of 13.1 deaths per 1,000 births – making Black infants more than twice as likely to die before their first birthday compared to white infants.[vi] 

Improving Black maternal health requires a comprehensive and sustained approach that goes beyond the pregnancy period. It is critical to support mothers not only during pregnancy but also for at least a year postpartum. This extended period of support can help address ongoing health needs, provide critical postpartum care, and reduce risks associated with complications such as postpartum depression and untreated medical conditions. Policies and investments that extend Medicaid coverage for 12 months postpartum and support the funding of programs offering comprehensive maternal healthcare are essential.

In addition to policy change, programs that provide practical and emotional support to mothers play a vital role in improving outcomes. Nurse home visiting programs, doula services, and community-based initiatives have demonstrated success in supporting maternal and child health. Doulas, for example, offer continuous support during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period, helping mothers navigate the healthcare system and advocate for their needs. Home visiting programs provide crucial education and resources directly to families, promoting healthy practices and early intervention when needed.

Community-based organizations are at the forefront of this work, addressing disparities through culturally competent care and targeted support. In Ohio, initiatives such as Cradle Cincinnati, Queens Village, Root, Village of Healing, First Year Cleveland, and Celebrate One are leading the way. These organizations provide vital services, from educating healthcare providers on the importance of culturally sensitive care to offering direct support to Black mothers and their families. They also play a crucial role in raising awareness about the specific challenges Black mothers face and advocating for systemic changes that promote equity.

With such glaring data we need both investment and concerted efforts to improve health outcomes specifically for Black mothers. It requires a collective commitment to addressing the root causes of disparities and ensuring that every mother, regardless of background, has the opportunity to experience a healthy pregnancy and a positive birth outcome. Through coordinated efforts and sustained advocacy, we can make meaningful progress toward reducing maternal mortality rates and supporting the health and well-being of Black women.

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[i] Hill, L., Rao, A., Artiga, S., & Ranji, U. (2024, December 12). Racial Disparities in maternal and Infant health: Current status and efforts to address them | KFF. KFF. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-disparities-in-maternal-and-infant-health-current-status-and-efforts-to-address-them/#:~:text=Large%20racial%20disparities%20in%20maternal,those%20born%20to%20White%20people.

[ii] Howell, E. A. (2018). Reducing disparities in severe maternal morbidity and mortality. Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology, 61(2), 387–399.

[iii] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER).

[iv] Ohio Pregnancy Assessment Survey (2022).

[v] National Center for Health Statistics, Natality data, 2021-2023

[vi] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER).