[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 5, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                  DATA MAPPING TO SAVE MOMS' LIVES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. G. K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 4, 2022

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Madam Speaker, as many of you know, the United 
States is one of the only developed nations in the world where the 
maternal mortality rate continues to rise every year. The rate of 
mortality is especially higher in minority populations and rural 
communities--those who most often sit on the wrong side of the digital 
divide. This women's health crisis has had a particularly disparate 
impact on the African American community. African American women are 
three times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than 
their counterparts. Physicians and scientists continue to study the 
cause of these high numbers, citing lack of access to resources as one 
of many reasons the maternal mortality rate continues to rise. These 
resources include, but are not limited, to broadband access.
  My bill, the Data Mapping to Save Moms' Lives Act, focuses on 
overlaying broadband connectivity data held by the FCC with health 
information held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
Armed with this information, policymakers will be able to target 
connectivity resources where telehealth may be able to assist medical 
professionals remotely monitor the health of pregnant women. We must 
act to address this crisis and my bill will give us the needed 
information to target our interventions.
  I urge my colleagues to help protect our Nation's mothers and vote 
yes on H.R. 1218, the Data Mapping to Save Moms' Lives Act.

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