[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 71 (Thursday, April 13, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 22351-22353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07951]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 71 / Thursday, April 13, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 22351]]

                Proclamation 10551 of April 10, 2023

                
Black Maternal Health Week, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Black Maternal Health Week is a reminder that so many 
                families experience pain, neglect, and loss during what 
                should be one of the most joyous times of their lives. 
                It is an urgent call for action. Black women in America 
                are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-
                related complications than white women. This is on top 
                of the fact that women in America are dying at a higher 
                rate from pregnancy-related causes than in any other 
                developed nation.

                Tackling this crisis begins with understanding how 
                institutional racism drives these high maternal 
                mortality rates. Studies show that Black women are 
                often dismissed or ignored in hospitals and other 
                health care settings, even as they suffer from severe 
                injuries and pregnancy complications and ask for help. 
                Systemic inequities are also to blame. When mothers do 
                not have access to safe and stable housing before and 
                after childbirth, they are at greater risk of falling 
                ill. When women face barriers traveling to the hospital 
                for prenatal and postpartum checkups, they are less 
                likely to remain healthy. Air pollution, water 
                pollution, and lead pipes can have dangerous 
                consequences for pregnant women and newborns. And when 
                families cannot afford nutritious foods, they face 
                worse health outcomes.

                That is why my Administration wrote the Blueprint for 
                Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, which lays out 
                specific actions that the Federal Government will take 
                to improve maternal health, and secured funding from 
                the Congress to help implement it. Vice President 
                Kamala Harris has been a leader on the issue of 
                maternal mortality for years and led the charge to 
                improve maternal health outcomes, including by issuing 
                a call to action to address disparities in maternal 
                care. She continues to elevate the issue nationally, 
                convening State legislators, medical professionals, and 
                others so all mothers can access the care they need 
                before, during, and after childbirth.

                Additionally, my American Rescue Plan gave States the 
                option to provide a full year of postpartum coverage to 
                Medicaid beneficiaries--up from just 60 days of 
                coverage. As a result, my Administration has approved 
                requests from 30 States and Washington, D.C. to provide 
                women with Medicaid coverage with a full year of 
                postpartum coverage, and we have made this option 
                permanent for every State that extends Medicaid 
                postpartum coverage. My Administration has helped 
                facilitate Medicaid expansion in four States since I 
                took office, and I continue to call on the Congress to 
                close the Medicaid coverage gap. We are also working to 
                expand and diversify the maternal health workforce, 
                helping health care providers hire and train diverse 
                and culturally-competent physicians, certified nurse 
                midwives, doulas, and community health workers to 
                support women during pregnancy, delivery, and 
                postpartum care. My American Rescue Plan included 
                historic investments in our health workforce, and my 
                Budget includes $471 million to reduce maternal 
                mortality and morbidity rates--improving access to care 
                in rural communities, expanding implicit bias training 
                for health care providers, and further supporting the 
                perinatal health workforce.

[[Page 22352]]

                Because expecting mothers deserve to know where to find 
                the best care, the Department of Health and Human 
                Services created a new ``Birthing Friendly'' hospital 
                designation, a public-facing recognition of the quality 
                and safety of maternity care which will be publicly 
                reported on the Care Compare website beginning this 
                Fall. My Administration is committed to implementing 
                the No Surprises Act, which helps ensure that women are 
                protected from certain unexpected out-of-network 
                medical bills that can come up during pregnancy, 
                postpartum care, and delivery.

                One in 5 women in America experience maternal mental 
                health conditions like postpartum depression, anxiety, 
                or substance use disorder, so we launched the Maternal 
                Mental Health Hotline. By calling 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS--a 
                confidential, 24-hour, toll-free number--new and 
                expecting moms can now connect with professional 
                counselors. We are also supporting and expanding 
                maternal mental health screening programs, including 
                for postpartum depression. My Administration is also 
                partnering with community-based organizations to help 
                pregnant people access addiction services and work with 
                professionals trained in treating substance use 
                disorder.

                We are protecting the job security and workplace rights 
                of pregnant and nursing mothers--including Black women, 
                who are more likely to be fired, quit, or be forced to 
                return to work after giving birth before it is healthy 
                for them to do so. Over the past 2 years, I signed 
                legislation to ensure employers make reasonable 
                accommodations for pregnant workers and job applicants, 
                expand the use of break time and access to private 
                spaces for millions of nursing parents, and study the 
                unique maternal health challenges facing veterans and 
                help ensure they get the quality health care they 
                deserve through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

                At the same time, my Administration is using the power 
                of the Federal Government to address the long-standing 
                disparities that Black communities continue to face--
                disparities that directly impact the health and well-
                being of Black mothers. During the height of the COVID-
                19 crisis, my Administration provided relief to 
                hardworking families, cutting the rate of poverty for 
                Black Americans by nearly a third.

                We are also confronting racial discrimination in 
                housing; expanding public transit to every neighborhood 
                in the country; improving access to affordable and 
                healthy food through our National Strategy on Hunger, 
                Nutrition, and Health; and tackling dangerous 
                environmental injustices that have hit communities of 
                color the hardest.

                This week, as we continue our work to make pregnancy 
                and childbirth safe, dignified, and joyful for all, let 
                us remember that health care should be a right and not 
                a privilege. Let us give thanks to the extraordinary 
                maternal health care workforce, which serves its 
                patients and their families every day. And let us join 
                in common cause to end the tragedy of maternal 
                mortality once and for all.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 11 
                through April 17, 2023, as Black Maternal Health Week. 
                I call upon all Americans to raise awareness of the 
                state of Black maternal health in the United States by 
                understanding the consequences of institutional racism; 
                recognizing the scope of this problem and the need for 
                urgent solutions; amplifying the voices and experiences 
                of Black women, families, and communities; and 
                committing to building a world in which Black women do 
                not have to fear for their safety, their well-being, 
                their dignity, or their lives before, during, and after 
                pregnancy.

[[Page 22353]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-07951
Filed 4-12-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P