The nation’s health disparities have had a tragic impact: Over the past two decades, the higher mortality rate among Black Americans resulted in 1.6 million excess deaths compared to white Americans.
Black Americans have less access to adequate medical care their life expectancy is shorter.įrom birth to death, regardless of wealth or social standing, they are far more likely to get sick and die from common ailments.īlack Americans’ health issues have long been ascribed to genetics or behavior, when in actuality, an array of circumstances linked to racism - among them, restrictions on where people could live and historical lack of access to care - play major roles.ĭiscrimination and bias in hospital settings have been disastrous. To be Black anywhere in America is to experience higher rates of chronic ailments like asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's and, most recently, COVID-19. Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States - 69.9 per 100,000 live births for 2021, almost three times the rate for white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.īlack babies are more likely to die, and also far more likely to be born prematurely, setting the stage for health issues that could follow them through their lives.Īngelica Lyons tears up while recalling her birthing experience during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. Her experience is a reflection of the medical racism, bias and inattentive care that Black Americans endure. Rushed into the operating room for an emergency cesarean section, months before her due date, she nearly died of an undiagnosed case of sepsis.Įven more disheartening: Angelica worked at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the university affiliated with the hospital that treated her. Angelica said she wasn’t taken seriously until a searing pain rocketed throughout her body and her baby’s heart rate plummeted. Doctors and nurses told her she was suffering from normal contractions, she said, even as her abdominal pain worsened and she began to vomit bile. Her pleas for help were shrugged off, she said, and she was repeatedly sent home from the hospital. What should have been a joyous first pregnancy quickly turned into a nightmare when she began to suffer debilitating stomach pain. Then, in 2019, it nearly happened to her. 0:00 / 0:00 Listen to an AP radio version of the story
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