Perhaps the biggest structural challenge posed by COVID-19 is the strain that the pandemic is placing on healthcare systems.
The human costs, however, are much more significant – recent data has shown that Black, Indigenous, Black Latinx and Latinx (BIPOC) populations and poorer people have higher rates of infection and are more likely to die from COVID-19.
For birthing families in Puerto Rico this could mean less attention in an already over-burdened system, a heightened susceptibility to exposure and infection, and an increase in adverse maternal health outcomes. Any public health response to COVID-19 must include a focus on birth equity work and center the needs of birthing families that are facing the greatest hardship during this pandemic.
Key components of this brief include:
- Disparities in outcomes pre Covid-19
- Birthing during a pandemic
- Recommendations
For more information on this topic, please send questions or comments to Khadija Gurnah, Director of Policy and Advocacy at info@healthconnectone.org
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Image credit: Karla Rosas / IG: @karlinche_