MLBC calls for urgent action to address state’s maternal and infant health crisis

JANS – The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus (MLBC) convened a historic legislative hearing last month to confront the state’s worsening maternal and infant health crisis – one that disproportionately impacts Black mothers and babies. Lawmakers heard from physicians, health officials, advocates, and families who called for immediate policy changes to save lives and strengthen communities. 

Mississippi’s infant mortality rate rose to 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, the highest in more than a decade. Among Black infants, the rate surged to 15.2 per 1,000. Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. According to the Mississippi Maternal Mortality Review Committee, 83% of maternal deaths are preventable. 

“The crisis is both preventable and unacceptable,” said Representative Zakiya Summers, Co-Chair of the MLBC Maternal Health Workgroup. “Every mother and every baby in Mississippi deserves a fair chance at life. We cannot accept these outcomes as normal or inevitable. Mississippi must ensure that women not only survive the birthing process, but thrive in motherhood.” 

State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney declared a public health emergency earlier this year and testified that if Mississippi’s rates had matched the national average since 1950, 23,475 infants and 1,057 mothers would still be alive today. 

Speakers – including Dr. Michelle Owens (Mississippi Maternal Mortality Review Committee), Dr. Keisha Bell Catchings (University of Mississippi Medical Center OB/GYN), Dr. Nakeitra Burse (Six Dimensions), Brittany Isler (Lactation Consultant and Doula), Cassandra Welchlin (MS Black Women’s Roundtable), Monica Stinson (Mississippi Perinatal Quality Collaborative), Dr. Talya Straughter (Licensed Professional Counselor), and Dr. Jameshyia Ballard (Mississippi WIC Program Director) – emphasized the need for coordinated, cross-sector action that addresses not only clinical care but also the social and economic conditions that shape maternal outcomes. 

Key legislative recommendations emerging from the hearing include: 

• Funding and codifying the OB/Perinatal System of Care to close hospital and emergency care gaps. 

• Expanding Medicaid reimbursement for doulas, lactation consultants, and home-based postpartum services. 

• Investing in workforce development for OB-GYNs, midwives, doulas, and community health workers. 

• Passing comprehensive paid family and medical leave legislation and eliminating sales tax on diapers and infant essentials. 

• Establishing a Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) process to complement the state’s Maternal Mortality Review. 

Personal testimony from Shanelle Ball Greene, whose daughter Harmony died on the side of the road from preeclampsia on the way to the Yazoo City hospital from Belzoni, underscored the human toll of the state’s hospital closures and emergency care deserts. “We can’t keep losing mothers and babies because systems failed them,” Greene said. 

The Caucus will now work with agency and community partners to draft comprehensive legislation for the 2026 Legislative Session focused on improving maternal and infant outcomes statewide. 

“This is not just about health care,” said Caucus Chairman Representative Kabir Karriem. “It’s about equity, accountability, and ensuring every Mississippi family – no matter their ZIP code – has access to the care and support they need to thrive.” 

(Photos: Kehinde Gaynor)