Evergreen Reporter

Tacoma, WA – On May 25, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, toured the Rainier Valley Birth & Health Center’s Seattle clinic and hosted a roundtable discussion with providers and clinic staff on the importance of high-quality maternal care and continued investments in tackling the maternal mortality crisis that is particularly severe for women of color.

Senator Murray secured $225,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending as part of last year’s spending bill for the Rainier Valley Birth & Health Center to cover the renovation costs of their new facility and allow the center to open a new birthing center this fall. Senator Murray toured the center’s new health facility and discussed the progress they have been able to make toward opening a new birthing center with the funding she secured.

“Our nation is facing a crisis when it comes to maternal care and maternal mortality rates, especially in communities of color. But it’s clinics like this—and providers like all of you—who are on the frontlines working to address this crisis,” said Senator Murray. “We need to make sure everyone has access to high-quality care—with comfort, dignity, and cultural understanding—like the care Rainier Valley Midwives provides.”

Senator Murray spoke with clinic staff about the nation’s growing maternal mortality crisis and how it has been especially severe and devastating for women of color.

“Our nation faced a maternal mortality crisis before the pandemic, but the past few years have absolutely pushed it to the breaking point. The pandemic disrupted progress we had been making, and I know your organization and the families you serve were devastated by the pandemic. A new—shocking—report from the CDC found the maternal mortality rate has risen 40% since 2020. That is just heartbreaking,” said Senator Murray. “It is unacceptable that our country has the worst maternal death rate among our peers, and it is an outrage that for years now it has been on the rise and is continuing to disproportionately affect Black and Native women. We know they have a death rate three times higher than their white counterparts. And the especially frustrating part is, we know that most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, but too many pregnant women can’t get the care they need.”

Senator Murray made clear she will continue to use every tool at her disposal to ensure the federal government is working to address the crisis head-on.

“I’ve been pushing every day in the other Washington to make sure we are throwing everything we’ve got at this crisis,” said Senator Murray. “That’s why I’ve fought for Congressionally Directed Spending for the Rainier Valley Midwives so you can renovate and open a new birthing center this fall so you can serve more moms in need. Last Congress, I supported passage of an extension of Medicaid coverage to a full year postpartum, up from just 60 days previously, because I know how crucial continued access to care is for a mother’s health during that vulnerable first year.”

“I’m going to keep working across the aisle and pushing to make sure all of you get the support you need to get our families and communities the maternal health care they deserve,” she continued.

As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Senator Murray has worked to ensure Congress delivers the resources and tools needed to address the growing maternal mortality crisis. She helped pass legislation to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage for mothers to 12 months—up from just 60 days—and she secured a 60% boost in federal funding last year for a targeted initiative to reduce maternal mortality in the United States. As Senate Appropriations Chair, she is continuing to push for renewed investments in tackling the crisis and recently asked Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra about the work his department is doing to address the crisis and additional funding needs.

“It was great to have Senator Murray here today to tour our new health center and learn about the work we’re doing to provide communities with a safe and welcoming place to give birth. It’s so important to make sure people can give birth the way they want to—with their families present, providers who really know and understand them, and with the things that make them feel safe and cared for,” said Tara Lawal, Executive Director & Cofounder at the Rainier Valley Birth & Health Center. “We really appreciate Senator Murray’s support for our work—including the funding she secured for our new birthing center opening this fall—and her visit today.”

Participants in the roundtable discussion included: Tara Lawal, Co-founder at Rainier Valley Birth & Health Center; Jodilyn Owen, Co-founder at Rainier Valley Birth & Health Center; Brooke Prudhomme, Director of Midwifery at Rainier Valley Birth & Health Center; Vanessa Lovejoy-Guron, Program Director at Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services; Erin Hafer, Vice President, Delivery and Health System Innovation & Community Partnerships at Community Health Plan of WA State; Samy Garcia, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Rainier Valley Birth & Health Center; Triniti Gorbunova, Director of Lactation at Rainier Valley Birth & Health Center; Giulia Pasciuto, City of Seattle Equitable Development Initiative; Lauren Flemister, City of Seattle Deputy Director for Office of Planning and Community Development; Lika Smith, Board Member at South Seattle Women’s Health Foundation and Executive Director at Pacific Islander Health Board of WA; Rensa Mailo, Health Care Navigator at Pacific Islander Health Board of WA; and Alinda Alik, Health Care Navigator at Pacific Islander Health Board of WA, as well as other midwives, staff, and health care providers.

Original source can be found here.