In recognition of Black Maternal Health Week, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, members of the Council’s Women’s Caucus, maternal health advocates, and healthcare workers gathered to underscore the continued urgency for sustained action to combat maternal mortality. They outlined State and City budget priorities to improve maternal health and highlighted the ongoing work of the Council’s Maternal Health Steering Committee to reduce the severe racial disparities in maternal health outcomes, particularly for Black women and birthing people who are six times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white New Yorkers. Launched following Speaker Adams’ speech in October 2024 declaring maternal mortality as a public health emergency, the Steering Committee has convened healthcare providers, workers, advocates, and elected officials to advance coordinated action steps, including a set of state budget priorities.
“Our women-majority Council has taken the charge to fight maternal mortality and champion maternal health – this requires addressing the longstanding economic and racial disparities that make access to health care and stability out-of-reach for many low-income, Black women, and other women of color,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams.“During Black Maternal Health Week, we honor the lives lost due to pregnancy-related causes with our commitment to ending the public health emergency that is maternal mortality. The Maternal Health Steering Committee of stakeholders I convened has been hard at work on this, advocating for state budget priorities that can improve maternal health outcomes. My Council colleagues and I have also put forth solutions for the City’s own budget that Mayor Adams should agree with us to include, so more mothers do not lose their lives. Through sustained commitment to overcome the decades of challenges that drive this crisis, we can end maternal mortality and improve health outcomes for Black women, and other women of color, who sit at the intersection of our most pressing challenges. I thank my Council colleagues and members of the Maternal Health Steering Committee for their continued work to uplift our working families and mothers, without whom there is no life.”
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“As we mark the end of Black Maternal Health Week, we are reminded of the stark racial disparities in maternal health outcomes that must be confronted,” said Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. “Every loss of life represents a family and a community torn apart from needless and preventable tragedy. This crisis is driven by inequities in the social determinants of health, including poverty and a lack of access to quality care, that disproportionately impact low-income communities of color like my district in East Harlem and the South Bronx. As Chair of the Council’s Committee on General Welfare, and a member of the Council’s Maternal Health Steering Committee, I know ending this public health emergency won’t happen overnight, but our progress must be sustained in the coming months and years to ensure it becomes a reality.”
As part of its work, the Steering Committee identified the following three proposals that it has called to be included in the adopted Fiscal Year 2026 New York State budget:
- S.3359/A.1691 (Sen. Rivera/AM Paulin) – This bill would require Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), also known as Community Health Centers (CHCs), with Article 28 licensure to be reimbursed in full when conducting services via telehealth, regardless of the location of the patient and provider.
- S.172/A.84 (Sen. Ramos/AM Solages) – This bill would provide for annual increases of Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) Benefits from January 1, 2026, through January 1, 2029, to achieve parity with Paid Family Leave (PFL).
- Require Medicaid to automatically authorize coverage for blood pressure monitors without a prescription for individuals who are pregnant
Additionally, the Council included the following maternal health-related proposals in its Fiscal Year 2026 Preliminary Budget Response, advocating for their inclusion in the adopted Fiscal Year 2026 New York City budget:
- Maternal Health Expansion: The City Maternal Health program includes prenatal and postnatal care services such as Maternity Infant Reproduction program, Newborn Home Visiting program, Nurse Family Partnership, and Universal Home Visiting program. The Council is urging the Administration to increase the baseline by $15.7 million in Fiscal 2026. This will restore the $13.3 million of maternal health-related reductions that were part of the mayor’s previous budget cuts and provide an additional $2.4 million to expand education outreach and services to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities, ensuring access to resources and support for at-risk communities.
- Maternal Mental Health Support at Each H+H Hospital: Mental health care that supports emotional wellness for mothers during and after pregnancy plays a critical role in helping to achieve positive maternal and family health outcomes. This includes providing education and improving awareness for pregnant people about symptoms of postpartum depression and making resources available to them during and after pregnancy. As such, the Council urges the Administration to allocate $5 million in Fiscal 2026 for H+H to provide at least one maternal health-focused psychologist within each of its hospitals’ maternity departments.
This City Council has consistently made maternal health a top priority. In 2022, the Council passed a package of 11 bills to expand maternal health services, including the establishment of a program to train doulas and provide doula care to residents of marginalized neighborhoods at no cost. Last year, as part of the third stop of the Council’s Mental Health Roadmap, the Council passed a package of bills aimed at improving maternal mental health support. Maternal mental health conditions are the leading cause of maternal mortality in New York City. The legislation includes efforts to create a pilot program establishing postpartum support groups in each borough.
Black New Yorkers are six times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes compared to white New Yorkers, with up to 60 losing their lives each year during or within a year from the end of pregnancy. These disparities are a product of longstanding medical and structural racism that leave Black women, communities of color, and low-income New Yorkers without access to adequate health care and medical treatment, while experiencing stressors that perpetuate severe disparities in health outcomes. These deeply rooted inequities in access to quality care and health outcomes remain despite actions from the Council and other stakeholders, reinforcing the need for closer coordination and continued action on solutions.
“The Black maternal mortality rates have more than doubled over the last 20 years. And in New York City, Black women are nine times more likely to die during childbirth than their white counterparts. With the leadership of Speaker Adams, my colleagues and I in the City Council are addressing systemic inequities through legislation and budget allocations,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson, Co-Chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus (BLAC). “By ensuring the necessary information and care is readily available to mothers in need, we will put an end to this public health crisis. When Black mothers thrive, all mothers thrive.”
“Black and Brown mothers still face disproportionate and discouraging health outcomes, confronting a health system built without their needs in mind,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus. “If we want to keep families in NYC, we have to meet them where they are and make NYC the place to raise a family. The Women’s Caucus and women-majority Council, made up of new mothers, working mothers, and grandmothers, has and will continue to support programs and capital improvements to alleviate the historic gaps in our maternal healthcare.”
