Olympic medalist Tori Bowe died from complications in childbirth last month at only 32 years old. Unfortunately, her story is too common — the U.S. has the highest mortality rate of any high-income country, and Black women are 2.6 times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women.
Ochsner expert Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell — an obstetrician and gynecologist, the medical director of Louisiana’s state maternal mortality review committee, and Black woman who has recounted her own personal birth story — can explain how fear of the healthcare system, untreated mental health conditions and misunderstanding of warning signs too frequently impact Black mothers.
