The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a survey this week that raises awareness about the need for more respectful treatment of patients while receiving maternity care.

What You Need To Know

  • According to a newly released CDC survey, one in every five women receiving maternity care reports being mistreated by their medical teams

  • The figure jumps higher when it comes to Black and Hispanic women

  • Cradle Cincinnati is an organization dedicated to reducing infant mortality by helping to create more equitable maternal and infant care through collaborative health care and community partnerships

Twenty percent of the women surveyed reported some form of disrespect or discrimination from their medical care teams during pregnancy and delivery. Responses from Black, Hispanic and multiracial women indicated they were more likely to have negative maternal healthcare experiences that impact the quality of care. 

The most common types of mistreatment reported were:

  • Receiving no response to requests for help.
  • Being shouted at or scolded.
  • Not having their physical privacy protected.
  • Being threatened with withholding treatment or made to accept unwanted treatment.

Spectrum News spoke with Lauren Everett, associate director of Cradle Cincinnati, an organization focused on reducing infant mortality.

"It's really terrible that we continue to see these disparities in the outcomes, and we're hearing similar things locally with Black women, in particular, feeling like they've been mistreated with the care that they're receiving."

Watch the full interview above.