Welcome and Keynote: Perinatal Health Equity for Indigenous People in the United States
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*This sessions is being offered free for DONA Members in honor of Native American Heritage Month until 11/30/24*
American Indian/Alaska Native birthing people in the United States face profound inequities during and around the time of childbirth. This has long been true and continues to be true, with headline after headline indicating loss of maternity services in rural and tribal communities, workforce shortages, financial challenges, and safety concerns. These and other challenges result in growing disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality, with American Indian/Alaska Native people being at least 3 times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white people.
Dr. Kozhimannil will discuss these and other barriers to safe and healthy birth for Indigenous people through examination of historical and contemporary factors that shape these inequities. She will also lead participants in looking forward by discussing clinical, public health, and policy efforts that may decrease maternal mortality and improve equity for Indigenous people, including through highlighting positive changes already happening in Indigenous communities across the country.
This session is sponsored by:
Dr. Katy Backes Kozhimannil
PhD, MPA
Katy Backes Kozhimannil, PhD, MPA is the Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She is Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center and Co-Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Program. Dr. Kozhimannil lives on Dakota land (Mahto Bde).
Dr. Kozhimannil conducts research to inform health policy that impacts critical times in the lifecourse, including pregnancy and childbirth. The goal of her work is to contribute to the evidence base for clinical and policy strategies to advance racial, gender, and geographic equity.
Media coverage of her Dr. Kozhimannil’s research, including stories by the New York Times, Washington Post, and National Public Radio, has generated dialogue and policy action at local, state, and national levels. In 2013, Dr. Kozhimannil’s groundbreaking research was the first to bridge clinical evidence of the benefits of doulas support with policy efforts to increase access to these services by showing potential cost savings to state Medicaid programs that offer coverage of doula services. Findings from this research has led to laws in many U.S. states to increase access to doula care, including through Medicaid reimbursement.
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