The death rate of women in childbirth has declined worldwide largely because of help from Washington, but that is not the case in some communities in the United States. Racial and economic health gaps have been blamed for the number of women that die from pregnancy-related causes. A study of long-term trends in pregnancy related deaths finds that New York City’s average maternal mortality rate was nearly double the national rate from 2001-2005. Black women were seven times more likely to die than white women. The death rates for Asian and Latina women were twice as high compared with whites. While some affluent neighborhoods (Manhattan’s Chelsea) were untouched by maternal mortality, the highest death rates were associated with low-income communities of color, like Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights and Jamaica. How sad is it that the outreach that is working to reduce numbers abroad isn't happening at home.
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