As maternal mortality crisis grows, Ga. bills look to improve outcomes
ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Lawmakers are trying to give more resources to expectant mothers in Georgia. But their bills are not likely to go anywhere without a little push.
Georgia ranks as one of the worst states for ensuring the health of both mother and baby, both before and after birth.
Lawmakers and advocates were at the Georgia Capitol on Tuesday and said both are not merely data points on a report — they are mothers who never made it home and babies hoped and prayed for.
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“Every year we get the data. Every year everyone is concerned. Yet decades go by, and there’s no change,” Dr. Cecil Bennet, who practices family medicine in Coweta County, said.
Bennett said he has people driving in from surrounding counties for medical care.
According to the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce, more than a third of Georgia’s counties — 64 — have no pediatric physicians. More than half — 82 — have no OBGYN.
“There really has to be a commitment by the state to go into underserved areas and make sure that women have the same access to care as if they were in a major city,” Bennett said.
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A March of Dimes report found that the lack of healthcare is putting babies and their mothers at risk.
Over the last decade, more babies are dying before their first birthday. There were 893 deaths in 2022. And more women — especially Black women — are dying from complications from pregnancy childbirth. There were 169 deaths in 2022.
“My blood pressure spiked. My son went into fetal cardiac arrest. I do the neonatologist saying to me, ‘Listen to me, we’re going to move quickly. We’ll give you 10 seconds to hold your baby. And then I have to take you away,’” Regina Davis Moss, a Georgia mother, said.
Davis said she got dangerously close to becoming a statistic.
“I’m grateful to be alive because there are so many stories that I hear. Unfortunately, that didn’t have the outcome that I did,” Davis said.
State Democrats are pushing a slew of bills, including bills for a licensure program for midwives, mobile health clinics for rural Georgia and reinstating a state-maternal mortality review board. Gov. Brian Kemp disbanded the board after news leaked to the press regarding two Georgia women’s pregnancy-related deaths were ruled preventable.
“A preventable death is murder,” State Rep. Derrick Jackson said.
Jackson said state Republicans can’t ignore the statistics and is pushing for a bill to fully expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act — which currently has four Republican sponsors.
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“We have to turn the corner on this and say, ‘Gov. Kemp, let’s move this bill forward. It doesn’t matter who gets the credit. Not about democrats or republicans,’” Jackson said.
Republicans announced their healthcare priorities last month.
While Republicans haven’t dropped any health-related bills yet, this year’s budget includes millions more for prenatal home healthcare providers, maternal healthcare centers and rural hospitals.
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