Beyond Awareness: How Healthcare Professionals Can Advance Black Maternal Health

The urgency of Black Maternal Health Week is underscored by stark disparities in maternal mortality at the national, state, and local levels. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2023, Black women experienced a maternal mortality rate of 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, more than three times the rate for White women (14.5) and significantly higher than rates for Hispanic (12.4) and Asian women (10.7) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2025). These inequities have persisted despite national declines in overall maternal mortality rates.

In Texas, Black women face similarly disproportionate risks. According to the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC), Black women in Texas experience a pregnancy-related mortality ratio of 39 deaths per 100,000 live births, representing more than a 2.5-fold increase compared to White women (Texas Department of State Health Services [DSHS], 2024). Importantly, the MMMRC has determined that approximately 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in Texas are preventable, highlighting missed opportunities for timely, respectful, and equitable care across the perinatal continuum (Texas DSHS, 2024).

Local data from the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex further illustrates the severity of the crisis. In Tarrant County, Black women experience the second-highest maternal mortality rate among Black women in Texas, with 48.3 deaths per 100,000 live births (City of Fort Worth & Tarrant County Public Health, 2024). This elevated rate reflects systemic gaps in access to care, continuity of services, and culturally responsive support during pregnancy and the postpartum period. In Dallas County, publicly reported maternal mortality data are not consistently disaggregated by race at the county level. However, Dallas County has formally acknowledged significant and persistent racial disparities in maternal outcomes. Official resolutions adopted by the Dallas County Commissioners Court cite that Black women are nearly three times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy-related causes and are almost twice as likely to receive late or no prenatal care (Dallas County Commissioners Court, 2024; Dallas County Commissioners Court, 2025). These findings are consistent with statewide and national trends documented by CDC and Texas DSHS.

These outcomes are not driven by biological differences, but by structural inequities, including implicit bias in clinical settings, fragmented care delivery, and broader social determinants of health (CDC, 2025; Texas DSHS, 2024). Black Maternal Health Week centers the reproductive justice framework, which affirms the right to safe, dignified, and culturally responsive care. This framework challenges healthcare professionals to extend their role beyond clinical encounters to include advocacy, education, and sustained partnership with the communities they serve.

The 2026 theme, Rooted in Justice & Joy, also reframes the narrative. While mortality data are essential, BMHW emphasizes wellness, celebration, and the lived experiences of Black mothers. For healthcare professionals in DFW, meaningful action includes partnering with Black-led maternal health organizations, elevating patient voices through storytelling, supporting workforce diversity initiatives, and advocating for policies that improve continuity of care across the perinatal period (Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition, 2026). These actions are impactful because they include culturally congruent care providers and promote collective action among Black-led organizations and advocates. Listening to patients is not just empathetic; it is evidence-based practice that improves outcomes. Workforce diversity is not symbolic, it is a clinical and operational strategy linked to improved patient trust, adherence, and outcomes. For healthcare leaders, this requires measurable action, embedding equity into quality metrics, stratifying outcomes by race, investing in community-based care models, and holding organizations accountable for disparities in outcomes, not just access.

Black Maternal Health Week reinforces collective responsibility. Advancing maternal health equity requires sustained, data-informed action from clinicians, health systems, policymakers, and communities alike. By engaging intentionally during BMHW and beyond, healthcare professionals can help build systems in which Black mothers have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy, outcomes that reflect not only equity, but excellence in care.

NAHSE DFW remains committed to creating spaces that elevate critical conversations, expand understanding, and advance equity across the communities we serve.