Maternal health crisis

48% of the babies born in California are Latino, however, there is still inequality in medical care, since, in the State, every 5 days a mother loses her life due to pregnancy-related complications and mortality rates increase among Latinas, mainly due to cardiac problems.

To reduce these conditions, the state has launched an initiative called “Strong Start and Beyond” to reduce maternal mortality by 50% by December 2026.

California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos, who is the first Latina to hold this position, comments on the situation of Latina mothers in the state of California.

Dr. Diana Ramos affirms that the greatest mortality is because they have diseases such as high blood pressure and they do not know it in the case of black women.

In addition, they do not trust the health system because of years of discrimination.

In the case of Latina women the problem is that there is no prevention or medical coverage, let’s listen to Dr. Diana Ramos, Surgeon General of California.

Remember that in California, Latinas can have medical coverage regardless of immigration status.

She recommends to those women who plan to have children to take care of themselves from an early age to avoid complications and malformations in their babies.

Dr. Diana Ramos recognizes that there are risks for those women who become pregnant at an older age because they face more complications.

Finally, California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos recommends talking about the subject, mainly with your doctor so that most of the risks during pregnancy can be eliminated.

This dispatch is part of the series “Growing with Latino Support: Radio Katina for Maternal and Child Health”. It is funded in part by the David and Lucy Packard Foundation.