| R 199 |
| 2021 -- H 6243 Enacted 04/15/2021 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CELEBRATING BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK ON APRIL 11TH - 17TH, 2021, IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
| Introduced By: Representatives Cassar, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Ranglin-Vassell, |
| Date Introduced: April 15, 2021 |
| WHEREAS, This year marks the fourth annual Black Maternal Health Week which was |
| founded and is led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. This year’s theme is “Claiming our |
| Power, Resilience, and Liberation”; and |
| WHEREAS, The campaign is observed across the country in order to raise awareness for |
| Black maternal health by enhancing the dialogue, increasing community involvement, and |
| promoting solutions, policies, and research; and |
| WHEREAS, National severe maternal morbidity (SMM) rates have nearly doubled over |
| the past decade, and the incidence of SMM was 166 percent higher for Black women than White |
| women from 2012 to 2015; and |
| WHEREAS, Currently, very little research exists that examines the root causes of the |
| racial disparities in maternal health in the United States; and |
| WHEREAS, In order to improve maternal health outcomes for Black women, systemic |
| change in maternal health care that ensures that the methods used to address implicit bias and |
| racism align with Black women’s needs, values, and preferences and address the ways in which |
| health care systems perpetuate inequality is essential; and |
| WHEREAS, The Associate Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health stated, |
| “Understanding the variations in experiences across socioecological domains between White and |
| minority women in the United States is important in developing more effective policies and |
| programs to reduce racial disparities in MMM [maternal morbidity and mortality] and, ultimately, |
| save mothers”; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
| celebrates Black Maternal Health Week on April 11th - 17th, 2021, and urges all Rhode Islanders |
| to advocate for effective policies, and solutions to eliminate racism, bias, and inequities in |
| maternal care; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. |
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| LC002600 |
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