Health
Tatyana Ali campaigns for minority maternal healthcare access
NPR reports that actor Tatyana Ali is advocating for Black and Indigenous maternal healthcare following her own childbirth trauma.
The short version
- Actor Tatyana Ali is advocating for Black and Indigenous maternal healthcare after experiencing what she described as obstetric violence during a 2016 delivery.[NPR]
- Federal statistics show Black mothers in 2024 were over three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white mothers.[NPR]
- Ali's venture Baby Yams contributes funds to provide grants for midwives, doulas, and birth workers through the Birth Future Foundation.[NPR]
- Access remains constrained as over half of U.S. counties lack hospital-based labor and delivery services following widespread unit closures.[NPR]
Key facts
- Tatyana Ali is advocating for Black and Indigenous maternal healthcare following a traumatic childbirth experience in 2016.[NPR]
- Federal data indicated 649 maternal deaths in the U.S. in 2024, with Black women dying at more than three times the rate of white women from pregnancy complications.[NPR]
- Over 500 hospital maternity wards closed between 2010 and 2022, leaving more than half of U.S. counties without hospital labor and delivery facilities.[NPR]
- Ali created the company Baby Yams, directing part of its revenue to the Birth Future Foundation to assist midwives, doulas, and birth workers.[NPR]
What remains uncertain
- Specific institutional responses or policy solutions to address maternity ward closures across U.S. counties were not detailed.[NPR]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.