Axios' Niala Boodho and Christy Turlington Burns.
Midwives and doulas need more support from states to ensure safer births for women , as hospitals increasingly become overwhelmed during the coronavirus pandemic, "Every Mother Counts" founder Christy Turlington Burns said on Tuesday at an Axios virtual event.
Why it matters: More mothers die in the U.S. from complications during pregnancy than in any other developed country, according to a recent Commonwealth Fund analysis, as well as past reporting by NPR and ProPublica.
- The risk of fatal complications during pregnancy is even higher for Black women and Native women, who also are also more likely to suffer serious illness and higher death rates from the coronavirus.
What they're saying: "Midwives and doulas play a huge part in maternity care and there are not enough of them and there's not enough for them," Burns said.
- "I mentioned reimbursement of Medicaid earlier. There are very few states in the country that adequately support these types of health care workers who we know make a huge difference in the impact of childbirth for any woman, let alone a woman who may have a chronic health condition or be marginalized."