Our nation is in a state of crisis, and it is not the crisis that we think. It is a crisis of disease — not an uncontrollable virus that takes lives indiscriminately, but an internal disorder that is deeply embedded in the fabric of our everyday lives and operates on prejudice and hate. The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others enrage and grieve us, both for what they are and for what they represent — not a tragic aberration but a systematic failure to protect the equality that our country professes to uphold.
This failure is deeply evident in our healthcare system — a system that exists to protect and save but has egregiously failed to safeguard the lives of many of the most vulnerable, especially those in the black community.
In the maternal health field, we’ve seen this disparity play out in the shockingly disproportionate rates of maternal mortality and morbidity for black women. Black mothers are 2-3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications in this country than white mothers, with causes that present as barriers to care, like lack of transportation and childcare, but are in fact deeply rooted in systemic racism and structural disadvantages.
Our company is founded on the principle that we can improve the maternal health field and innovate healthcare to contribute to actual change in eliminating maternal mortality and maternal disparities in care. Part of this mission means recognizing the realities of healthcare inequity, and working to resolve them through creating solutions that empower and educate those who suffer most from its challenges — because of the color of their skin, the neighborhood they live in, their economic status, or a host of other factors that are outside of their control but nevertheless have an impact on whether they live or die.
At the heart of our mission is our commitment to health equity. Babyscripts is free for all mothers, and always will be — regardless of race, income, or risk. We’re supporting mothers by creating products that directly address these disparities like our Care Navigator, making rigorous investments in the Medicaid space, and advocating for maternal healthcare mandates at the state and federal levels. We’ve worked and continue to advocate to open up pathways to reimbursement and access, so that delivering the best in maternal healthcare never has to be a choice or come at a cost to the mother.
The entire Babyscripts community grieves for the life of George Floyd and the countless others who have been victims of racism and inequality, and stands with the black community in protest and in sorrow against all forms of discrimination.
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