[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]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 71 / Thursday, April 13, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
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