A woman's health is not only important in its own right but also critical to the well-being of her infant, as a mother's physical and mental well-being contributes to her ability to provide loving care to her child at birth and for years thereafter.

In 2018-20, Black or African American women experienced serious health outcomes during labor and delivery at a rate over 2.5 times that of white women, and the rate for Latinas was 1.4 times that of white women. The rates were 120 for African Americans, 67 for Latinas, and 48 for whites - all expressed per 10,000 live births. These rates have all increased and so have the disparities since 2012-14, with the Black or African American rate up 29%, the Latina rate down 14% and the white rate remained unchanged. The rates for Monroe County were very similar to those for the overall region.

Racial disparities in maternal health, including higher rates of death during childbirth, are attributed to a variety of factors including discrimination in health care (such as the failure to respond to concerns of women of color) as well as maternal access to prenatal care throughout pregnancy and quality of care. Research has shown that mothers of color are less likely to receive prenatal care in part because they tend to live in communities with fewer health care providers including neonatal services. While women of color from under-resourced communities gain access to health care via Medicaid, they are often underinsured. The overall health of expectant mothers of color and access to comprehensive health care including gynecological services before pregnancy are also contributing factors. Racism experienced by expectant mothers of color in their everyday lives at work and in their neighborhoods (e.g. food insecurity, environmental toxins) increases the likelihood of poor birth outcomes for moms and babies. Neighborhood quality including cleanliness, crime rates and community cohesion affect the well-being of expectant mothers.

This indicator tracks "severe maternal morbidity," defined by the Centers for Disease Control by the presence of one of 21 indicators during labor and delivery. Our indicator does not include one of those- blood transfusions - since reliable data on transfusions was not available. Rates are not available for individual counties or years because the numbers of births with serious adverse outcomes are too low. The data is for live births and so excludes stillbirths and abortions.