Abstract
Problem Significance: Maternal mortality is a significant public health crisis in the US. Throughout the nation, maternal mortality rates in non-Hispanic (NH) Black women are higher compared to women of other races/ethnicities. The NH Black community continues to voice its concerns and raise awareness surrounding the clear human rights violations of NH Black birthing people.
Analysis and Objectives: The Dignified Care intervention applies the consciousness-raising and collective efficacy construct, improving cultural and social conditions for NH Black women during pregnancy. NH Black women need a reliable support system and culturally relevant guidance to experience healthy birthing outcomes free from emotional and physical distress. The NH Black women community is a historically marginalized population that continues to experience medical racism. Problem-posing education informs provider biases towards NH Black women patients. There is a need for NH Black doulas in Sacramento County to address maternal mortality. Doulas can provide social and cultural support for women and their families throughout pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum.
Intervention (Solution) Proposal: Dignified Care has three phases: creating a doula certification program, pairing the graduate doulas with NH Black pregnant women in Sacramento, and providing implicit bias training to medical providers.
Recommendation: Adopting this intervention is essential because the new California State doula legislation provides opportunities for the NH Black women population, hospitals, medical providers, and the state to use this resource to provide culturally competent and high-quality care to NH Black women.