Presidential Document2024-08063
Black Maternal Health Week, 2024
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 15, 2024
Signed
April 10, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 73 (Monday, April 15, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 73 (Monday, April 15, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 26103-26104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08063]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 73 / Monday, April 15, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 26103]]
Proclamation 10727 of April 10, 2024
Black Maternal Health Week, 2024
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
During Black Maternal Health Week, we recommit to
ending the maternal health crisis that is taking the
lives of far too many of our Nation's mothers.
Women in America are dying at a higher rate from
pregnancy-related causes than women in any other
developed nation. Black women face even more risk and
are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-
related causes than white women. That is in no small
part because of a long history of systemic racism and
bias. Studies show that when Black women suffer from
severe injuries or pregnancy complications or simply
ask for assistance, they are often dismissed or ignored
in the health care settings that are supposed to care
for them. People of color--including expecting
mothers--also bear the brunt of environmental
injustices like air and water pollution, which worsen
health outcomes. Too often, Black mothers lack access
to safe and secure housing, affordable transportation,
and affordable, healthy food. This is unjust and
unacceptable.
That is why my Administration has worked to address
this crisis from the very beginning. Vice President
Kamala Harris came into office as a key leader on
maternal health and continues to fight for improved
maternal health outcomes, elevating the issue
nationally and convening experts and activists to find
solutions. My Administration's first piece of historic
legislation--the American Rescue Plan--gave States the
option to provide a full year of postpartum coverage to
women on Medicaid, increasing it from just 60 days
previously. Now, 45 States, Washington, D.C., and the
United States Virgin Islands provide a full year of
this critical care. We also made coverage under the
Affordable Care Act more affordable, saving millions of
families an average of $800 per year on health
insurance premiums.
My Administration also released the Blueprint for
Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, which outlines
actions the Federal Government will take to combat
maternal mortality and improve maternal health. To
start, we created a new ``Birthing-Friendly'' hospital
designation that highlights hospitals and health
systems that offer high-quality maternal care--ensuring
that expecting mothers know where to go to get the help
they need. To find out which facilities are ``Birthing-
Friendly,'' go to <a href="http://medicare.gov/care-compare/">medicare.gov/care-compare/</a>.
Mental health care is health care--it is so important
that women have access to it throughout pregnancy and
beyond. My Administration launched the Maternal Mental
Health Hotline so that the one in five women in America
who experience maternal mental health conditions like
depression, anxiety, or substance use disorder can get
the support they need. New and expecting mothers can
call 1-833-TLC-MAMA--a confidential, 24-hour, toll-free
number--to connect with professional counselors. Tens
of thousands of women have already taken advantage of
this valuable hotline, and we know that being able to
access support in times of need literally saves lives.
Additionally, we are supporting and expanding maternal
mental health screening programs, including for
postpartum depression. We are partnering with
community-based organizations to help pregnant women
access services that treat substance use disorder and
support victims of domestic violence.
[[Page 26104]]
My Administration is working to grow and diversify the
maternal health workforce to better serve expecting
mothers by helping health care providers hire and train
physicians, certified midwives, doulas, and community
health workers. I also signed legislation to ensure
employers make reasonable accommodations for pregnant
and nursing mothers, who deserve job security and to
have their workplace rights respected by expanding the
use of break time and access to private spaces for
millions of nursing parents. I also remain committed to
addressing the long-standing inequities that Black
communities have faced and that continue to damage the
health and wellness of Black mothers. For example, we
have been working to end discrimination in housing,
make public transit more accessible to everyone no
matter where they live, expand access to healthy and
affordable food, and tackle dangerous environmental
injustices that take the biggest toll on families from
communities of color.
There is still so much to do to ensure safety and
dignity in pregnancy and childbirth. This week, we
extend our gratitude to all the maternal health care
workers, who are on the frontlines of this work.
Together, I know that we can make America the best
country in the world to have a baby.
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, 2024, 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, well-being, dignity,
or lives before, during, and after pregnancy.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-08063
Filed 4-12-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 15, 2024.
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