Maternal Health, Hate Crimes Against Asians Targeted In New Legislation

The Hill: House To Consider Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Bill, Protections For Pregnant Workers This Month 
The House is set to vote this month on bills to ensure workplace protections for pregnant employees, reform debt collection practices and combat a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced Thursday. ... The House will take up bills next week to bolster mental health services, particularly for underserved and high-poverty communities, as well as a package to reform the debt collection industry.   (Marcos, 5/6)

Los Angeles Times: Black Moms Are More Likely To Die In Childbirth. Will Congress Do Anything About It?
Lawmakers pushing to address the nation’s rising maternal death rate — particularly among Black women — heard testimony Thursday on what Congress can do to address the problem. The rate of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. is the worst of any industrialized country, and the number of such deaths has steadily risen over the last 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Wire, 5/6)

Roll Call: Lawmakers Push For Action To Reduce Maternal Deaths 
Growing concern over maternal health disparities is prompting a flurry of congressional action, with lawmakers moving closer to consideration of policies that they say could reduce the rising number of maternal deaths. The House Oversight and Reform Committee at a hearing Thursday examined ways to expand the perinatal workforce, collect data and reduce the effects of racism on Black maternal health in the United States. (Raman, 5/6)

Los Angeles Times: Black Moms Are More Likely To Die In Childbirth. Will Congress Do Anything About It?
Lawmakers pushing to address the nation’s rising maternal death rate — particularly among Black women — heard testimony Thursday on what Congress can do to address the problem. The rate of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. is the worst of any industrialized country, and the number of such deaths has steadily risen over the last 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, the most recent year for which data are available, the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. was 20.1 per 100,000 live births, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. (Wire, 5/6)

Axios: Illinois Congresswoman: U.S. Health Care System Has Racism "In Its Foundation" 
The high maternal mortality rate for Black women in the U.S. is part of the systemic racism that permeates the country's health care system, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) told Axios at virtual event on Thursday. The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world, largely due to high mortality rates among Black mothers, according to research by Commonwealth Fund. (5/6)

In related news about health and race —

Billings Gazette: Helpline Provides Faster Mental Health Care For Women In Perinatal Period
In an effort to connect women in the weeks before and after pregnancy with responsive mental health care, the state health department and a collaborative virtual psychiatry practice are partnering up to provide consultation with clinicians statewide. For the last three months, the groups have been piloting a project called PRISM, which stands for Psychiatric Referrals, Intervention, and Support in Montana. The program is made up of a free consultation phone line or website where clinicians treating a woman in the perinatal period can call to get psychiatric teleconsultation services from Frontier Psychiatry, a virtual practice based in Billings. (Michels, 5/6)

NPR: How Systemic Racism Continues To Determine Black Health And Wealth In Chicago
There is a 30-year gap in the life expectancies of Black and white Chicagoans depending on their ZIP code. On average, residents of the Streeterville neighborhood, which is 73% white, live to be 90 years old. Nine miles south, the residents of Englewood, which is nearly 95% Black, have a life expectancy of 60. Journalist Linda Villarosa says the disparity in life expectancies has its roots in government-sanctioned policies that systematically extracted wealth from Black neighborhoods — and eroded the health of generations of people. She writes about her family's own story in The New York Times Magazine article "Black Lives Are Shorter in Chicago. My Family's History Shows Why." (Gross, 5/6)

CBS News: The Asian American Foundation Launches New Campaign To Fight Anti-Asian Hate 
The Asian American Foundation is launching a new campaign in an effort to fight anti-Asian bias and "expand support" for the Asian community. The "See Us Unite" campaign will use culture and history to help educate about what it means to be Asian American. The campaign's messaging will be launched on social media, featuring Asian American celebrities such as actor Daniel Dae Kim, tennis star Naomi Osaka and Olympian skater Michelle Kwan. MTV, a division of ViacomCBS, will also air a special exploring the historic contributions Asian Americans have made to the country. The special, which airs May 21, will include performances from rapper Saweetie and singers Jhene Aiko and Sting. (Jones, 5/6)

ABC News: Man Charged With Premeditated Attempted Murder In Stabbing Of 2 Asian American Women 
The man who allegedly stabbed two elderly Asian women in San Francisco earlier this week is now facing multiple charges, including premeditated attempted murder, prosecutors announced Thursday. Patrick Thompson, 54, was charged with two counts of premeditated attempted murder and two counts of elder abuse, with enhancements for great bodily injury, great bodily injury on elders and personal use of a deadly weapon, in the "brutal" knife attack, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said. (Shapiro and Deliso, 5/6)