Biden’s HHS gives $4.5 million to train on ‘implicit bias’

By Adam Andrzejewski for RealClearPolicy

The Department of Health and Human Services is awarding $4.5 million in grants to public colleges to train maternal health care providers about implicit biases.

The grant summary states that “the goal of this program is to address implicit biases among maternal health care providers in order to reduce health disparities and improve maternal health outcomes,” the grant says. public and state-controlled higher education institutions being eligible for funding.

A press release from HHS on the funding specifies that the funds will be used to support community doulas, a non-medical professional to support women during childbirth. They do not deliver babies but provide pregnant women with emotional and physical support before and at delivery.

Funding, through the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration, said the money will be used to hire, train, certify and pay community doulas “in areas with low maternal health rates. and infantile are high”.

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HHS said the grant builds on the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to “address the nation’s black maternal health crisis.”

Many media and medical entities have reported on the high rate of black mothers dying during or before childbirth, a terrible scourge that Americans in 2022 should not face.

“Black mothers of all ages are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than their white counterparts,” The march of dimes has been reported.

The non-profit organization that advocates for the health of mothers and babies notes that part of this is due to living in rural areas known as “maternity care deserts”.

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Also partly to blame is being in poor health before getting pregnant and battling issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and obesity during pregnancy.

Funding to help mothers and their babies survive is one thing, but $4.5 million to train the unconscious racism of doulas and other maternal health care providers could be better spent improving medical care.

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Syndicated with permission from RealClearWire.

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