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National Racial Disparity Task Force Tackles Preeclampsia

Racial disparities is a fact of maternal health. We know that it has a significant impact on health outcomes for Black moms and their babies. But it's not enough to simply talk about those disparities. The Preeclampsia Foundation has launched a racial disparities task force to create recommendations to address these issues as they relate to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP).

In late January, Preeclampsia Foundation Board Chair Kim Smith and fellow board member and maternal health executive Robyn D'Oria led the charge as co-chairs to recruit thoughtful, passionate individuals to create action. What has emerged is a talented, dedicated team of volunteers.
 
Organized around the Foundation's three pillars - Community (patient education and awareness), Healthcare Practices (to include clinical providers, payers, state initiatives and legislative efforts) and Research (to find a cure), the national Racial Disparity Task Force is identifying the top priorities for the Preeclampsia Foundation in what will be become a strategic action plan.
 
"Their expertise is invaluable to us. The perspectives this task force brings - their professional experience, clinical knowledge, and/or their lived experience is vital to us in developing a strategy to advocate for equitable care," says CEO Eleni Tsigas.
 
"There is nothing simplistic about this topic," adds Board Chair Kim Smith. "Everything from culturally-relevant patient information, access to care, untreated hypertension, postpartum preeclampsia, and implicit bias. The time to identify and move those barriers is now. With our expertise in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, our hope is that our findings will produce specific actions that the Preeclampsia Foundation and the larger healthcare and research community can act upon to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in preeclampsia.”
 
Smith said the team is on schedule to have their recommendations completed by Fall 2020.
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