Submission Date

7-31-2024

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Health & Society

Faculty Mentor

Catherine van de Ruit

Comments

Presented during the 26th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 19, 2024 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

Maternal mortality is a preventable outcome, yet the United States performs poorly in comparison to other countries in the Global North. Although Pennsylvania is one of the wealthiest states in the US and has a well-developed healthcare system in place, the state does not perform as well in comparison to other high-income states, particularly neighboring New England. Pennsylvania serves as a worthwhile proxy to understand the contextual factors that impact mothers’ and their infants’ health. Current research demonstrates how various social determinants of health, including race, socioeconomic status, and other demographic characteristics, along with health system factors affect maternal health outcomes. Yet relationships linking xenophobia, racism to unequal health outcomes are not well understood. This scoping study seeks to engage researchers, policy analysts, and care providers on the linkages between discrimination and health through 5 in-depth interviews. The combination of secondary document review and interviews seeks to close these research gaps and establish the foundations for a larger honors project. Key findings from the study thus far include rising racial health disparities, substance overdose, and inaccessibility of maternal care in Philadelphia are key drivers of rising maternal mortality rates. Understanding how and why these unacceptably high rates of mortality persist offers answers not only for Pennsylvania, but also for the United States, as to why this country fails to protect marginalized patients from poor birth outcomes.

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