SPONSOR: Sen. Pinkney & Rep. Kamela Smith & Rep. Minor-Brown Sens. Buckson, Cruce, Hansen, Hocker, Hoffner, Huxtable, Mantzavinos, Pettyjohn, Poore, Sokola, Wilson; Reps. Burns, Gorman, Griffith, Heffernan, Hilovsky, Morrison, Neal, Phillips, Snyder-Hall, Wilson-Anton, Yearick DELAWARE STATE SENATE 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 45 RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF APRIL 11 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2025 AS "BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK" IN DELAWARE.
SPONSOR: Sen. Pinkney & Rep. Kamela Smith & Rep. Minor-Brown Sens. Buckson, Cruce, Hansen, Hocker, Hoffner, Huxtable, Mantzavinos, Pettyjohn, Poore, Sokola, Wilson; Reps. Burns, Gorman, Griffith, Heffernan, Hilovsky, Morrison, Neal, Phillips, Snyder-Hall, Wilson-Anton, Yearick
SPONSOR: Sen. Pinkney & Rep. Kamela Smith & Rep. Minor-Brown
Sens. Buckson, Cruce, Hansen, Hocker, Hoffner, Huxtable, Mantzavinos, Pettyjohn, Poore, Sokola, Wilson; Reps. Burns, Gorman, Griffith, Heffernan, Hilovsky, Morrison, Neal, Phillips, Snyder-Hall, Wilson-Anton, Yearick
SPONSOR:
Sen. Pinkney & Rep. Kamela Smith & Rep. Minor-Brown
Sens. Buckson, Cruce, Hansen, Hocker, Hoffner, Huxtable, Mantzavinos, Pettyjohn, Poore, Sokola, Wilson; Reps. Burns, Gorman, Griffith, Heffernan, Hilovsky, Morrison, Neal, Phillips, Snyder-Hall, Wilson-Anton, Yearick
DELAWARE STATE SENATE
153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 45
RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF APRIL 11 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2025 AS "BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK" IN DELAWARE.
WHEREAS, preventable maternal mortality is a human rights crisis in the United States; and WHEREAS, the U.S. is 1 of only 13 countries in the world in which pregnancy-related deaths are on the rise; and WHEREAS, Black women in the U.S. suffer from life-threatening pregnancy complications twice as often as White women, and they die from pregnancy-related complications 4 times as often as White women; and WHEREAS, racial disparities in pregnancy-related deaths across all income and education levels show that Black women in the U.S. are at a higher risk for poor outcomes than White women; and WHEREAS, Delawares infant mortality rate (IMR) is 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is above the national average of 5.5; and WHEREAS, at 11.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, the Delaware Black IMR is 3 times higher than the White IMR of 3.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births; and WHEREAS, the Hispanic infant mortality rate of 4.1 is higher than the White IMR of 3.4; and WHEREAS, irrespective of the place of residence, the 5-year Black (non-Hispanic) IMR was: 4.9 times the White (non-Hispanic) rate in City of Wilmington; 3.3 times the White (non-Hispanic) rate in Balance of New Castle County; 3 times the White (non-Hispanic) rate in Kent County; and 3.3 times the White (non-Hispanic) in Sussex County; and WHEREAS, the preterm birth rate is highest for non-Hispanic Black infants, at 13.3; and WHEREAS, the State of Delaware ranks 34th in the nation for highest prevalence of infant mortality; and WHEREAS, Delaware is committed to the health and wellbeing of women and families in our state; and WHEREAS, the State of Delawarethrough the efforts of the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium, the Delaware Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and many other stakeholdersworks to promote various promising efforts such as the OB Hemorrhage Initiative to reduce maternal and infant mortality, morbidity, and disparities; and improve public and professional awareness of the issues related to improving maternal health outcomes, womens experiences at childbirth, and critical postpartum care, especially for women of color; and WHEREAS, Delaware recognizes that every woman deserves quality, affordable, culturally respectful maternal healthcare and reaffirms a statewide commitment to reducing maternal mortality, morbidity, and racial health disparities among Delaware women; and WHEREAS, to tackle the problem of maternal mortality, Delaware is committed to developing a multi-faceted approach to addressing persistent and dire health disparities, and the social determinants of health, the conditions under which people live, work, and play; and WHEREAS, to improve Delaware maternal and infant health outcomes we must prioritize Black womens health and lives and commit to taking meaningful action; and WHEREAS, all Delaware women have the right to safe and respectful maternal health care that supports healthy pregnancies and births; and WHEREAS, in order to improve public and professional awareness of the issues related to Black maternal health and mortality, and to promote the various promising efforts to reduce Black maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities, it is both reasonable and appropriate to recognize the Black Maternal Health Awareness Week in the State of Delaware and to annually invite community members and healthcare professionals, during this week, to participate in appropriate activities relating to Black maternal health, safety, and mortality. NOW, THEREFORE: BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that we recognize April 11-17, 2025 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.
WHEREAS, preventable maternal mortality is a human rights crisis in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. is 1 of only 13 countries in the world in which pregnancy-related deaths are on the rise; and
WHEREAS, Black women in the U.S. suffer from life-threatening pregnancy complications twice as often as White women, and they die from pregnancy-related complications 4 times as often as White women; and
WHEREAS, racial disparities in pregnancy-related deaths across all income and education levels show that Black women in the U.S. are at a higher risk for poor outcomes than White women; and
WHEREAS, Delawares infant mortality rate (IMR) is 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is above the national average of 5.5; and
WHEREAS, at 11.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, the Delaware Black IMR is 3 times higher than the White IMR of 3.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births; and
WHEREAS, the Hispanic infant mortality rate of 4.1 is higher than the White IMR of 3.4; and
WHEREAS, irrespective of the place of residence, the 5-year Black (non-Hispanic) IMR was:
4.9 times the White (non-Hispanic) rate in City of Wilmington;
3.3 times the White (non-Hispanic) rate in Balance of New Castle County;
3 times the White (non-Hispanic) rate in Kent County; and
3.3 times the White (non-Hispanic) in Sussex County; and
WHEREAS, the preterm birth rate is highest for non-Hispanic Black infants, at 13.3; and
WHEREAS, the State of Delaware ranks 34th in the nation for highest prevalence of infant mortality; and
WHEREAS, Delaware is committed to the health and wellbeing of women and families in our state; and
WHEREAS, the State of Delawarethrough the efforts of the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium, the Delaware Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and many other stakeholdersworks to promote various promising efforts such as the OB Hemorrhage Initiative to reduce maternal and infant mortality, morbidity, and disparities; and improve public and professional awareness of the issues related to improving maternal health outcomes, womens experiences at childbirth, and critical postpartum care, especially for women of color; and
WHEREAS, Delaware recognizes that every woman deserves quality, affordable, culturally respectful maternal healthcare and reaffirms a statewide commitment to reducing maternal mortality, morbidity, and racial health disparities among Delaware women; and
WHEREAS, to tackle the problem of maternal mortality, Delaware is committed to developing a multi-faceted approach to addressing persistent and dire health disparities, and the social determinants of health, the conditions under which people live, work, and play; and
WHEREAS, to improve Delaware maternal and infant health outcomes we must prioritize Black womens health and lives and commit to taking meaningful action; and
WHEREAS, all Delaware women have the right to safe and respectful maternal health care that supports healthy pregnancies and births; and
WHEREAS, in order to improve public and professional awareness of the issues related to Black maternal health and mortality, and to promote the various promising efforts to reduce Black maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities, it is both reasonable and appropriate to recognize the Black Maternal Health Awareness Week in the State of Delaware and to annually invite community members and healthcare professionals, during this week, to participate in appropriate activities relating to Black maternal health, safety, and mortality.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that we recognize April 11-17, 2025 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.
SYNOPSIS This Resolution recognizes the week of April 11-17, 2025 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware. Author: Senator Pinkney
SYNOPSIS
This Resolution recognizes the week of April 11-17, 2025 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.
Author: Senator Pinkney