Black Maternal Health Week 2026: What the Data Says and Why Integrated Care Matters
- Jeff Shivanna
- Apr 14
- 4 min read
April 11th through 17th marks Black Maternal Health Week, an annual campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to amplify the voices and lived experiences of Black mothers and birthing people. This year's theme, "Rooted in Justice and Joy," is a call to move from awareness into action.
The Numbers Are Not Acceptable
The statistics surrounding Black maternal health in the United States are not a new conversation. But they continue to demand one.
According to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, Black women had a maternal mortality rate of 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, more than three times the rate for white women at 14.5, and significantly higher than Hispanic women at 12.4 and Asian women at 10.7. While overall maternal mortality in the U.S. declined that year, the rate for Black women increased slightly from 49.5 in 2022, widening the disparity further.
Although Black women make up just 14 percent of the U.S. female population, they account for approximately 40 percent of maternal deaths. These disparities persist even after adjusting for education and income, pointing to systemic drivers beyond individual socioeconomic status.
According to the CDC, more than 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are considered preventable. That is not a statistic about fate. It is a statement about systems.
Connecticut Is Not Exempt
It would be easy to assume that a state like Connecticut, often ranked among the healthiest in the nation, performs better. The data tells a different story.
Connecticut's Maternal Mortality Review Committee examined data from 2015 to 2019 and found that while Black people made up only 13 percent of live births, they accounted for 27 percent of all pregnancy-associated deaths.
Babies born to Black women in Connecticut are twice as likely to be born with low birthweight compared to babies born to white women, at 12.5 percent versus 6.3 percent. Infants born to Black women are four times more likely than those born to white women to die before their first birthday.
During 2021 through 2023, the infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births in Connecticut was highest for Black infants at 8.3, compared to 6.0 for Hispanic infants, 2.9 for white infants, and 2.8 for Asian and Pacific Islander infants.
Even more striking: wealthy, educated Black women in Connecticut have worse birth outcomes than poor white women without high school diplomas. That single data point dismantles every argument that these gaps are about individual choices or circumstances. They are about racism embedded in the structure of healthcare itself.
Why Fragmented Care Fails Black Women
One of the most consistent findings in Black maternal health research is that the current model of care, where primary care, OB/GYN, and mental health operate in silos, is insufficient for the complexity of what Black women are navigating. Research indicates that racism and chronic stress adversely affect maternal and infant health outcomes, and about 40 percent of Black mothers reported experiencing discrimination related to factors such as language barriers, lack of health insurance, and involvement with the justice system.
Nationally, Black women are nearly twice as likely as white women to have a birth with late or no prenatal care. Late or absent prenatal care is rarely a personal failure. It is often the result of a system that has not made itself accessible, trustworthy, or responsive to Black women's experiences.
What Whole-Person Care Actually Looks Like
At TMW Health & Wellness, the model was built specifically to close these gaps. Our providers are trained across both medical and psychiatric care, which means that during any visit, including a routine annual exam or primary care appointment, the full picture of a patient's health is part of the conversation. Every client has access to a LifePath Expert, a licensed therapist who collaborates directly with the medical team.
We operate in a trauma-informed space designed to reduce anxiety and restore trust in a system that has, for too many Black women, proven itself untrustworthy. That is not a small detail. Connecticut is starting to recognize that culturally responsive, coordinated care dramatically improves outcomes. TMW was built around that principle from the beginning.
What You Can Do This Week
Black Maternal Health Week is a moment to learn, share, and advocate. If you are a Black woman navigating your healthcare without a team that truly coordinates your care, you deserve better. If you have experienced dismissal, delayed diagnoses, or simply never felt heard in a clinical setting, that experience is valid and it is common. And it does not have to continue.
TMW Health & Wellness is accepting new patients. If you are ready for care that takes the whole of who you are seriously, we would be honored to be your team.
📍 504 Wolcott Road, Wolcott, CT | 203.441.6676 | tmw-health.com
Sources: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2023 | Connecticut Health Foundation, Maternal Health Disparities in Connecticut | March of Dimes PeriStats, Connecticut Infant Mortality Data 2021-2023 | McKinsey Health Institute, Closing the Black Maternal Health Gap, 2025 | Enrich Health, Black Maternal Health in Connecticut | Black Mamas Matter Alliance, BMHW 2026
Published Sources:
black maternal health connecticut | black maternal health week | black maternal mortality rates | maternal health disparities ct | women's health connecticut | integrated women's healthcare | black women's health care | prenatal care connecticut | maternal morbidity black women | trauma-informed women's healthcare
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