Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
<p>A <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/?s=civil+rights&;post_type%5B%5D=post&;post_type%5B%5D=list_posts&;_gl=1*1enrclv*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTQyNzYxNTg1NC4xNjg5MTg2NDYx*_ga_V2HX8YP3XL*MTY4OTI1MzExMS4zLjEuMTY4OTI1MzEzMC4wLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>civil rights</strong></a> investigation has been launched amid complaints of mistreatment from Black mothers who give birth at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.</p>
<p>The federal probe comes after <strong>Charles Johnson IV</strong> filed <a href="https://dolanlawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Johnson-v-Cedars-Sinai-Medical-Center-Endorsed-Complaint-05-03-22.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>a lawsuit</strong></a> against the hospital in 2022. The civil rights suit was brought about following the 2016 death of his wife <strong>Kira</strong>, who was at Cedars-Sinai to give birth to their second son, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/12/us/cedars-sinai-california-civil-rights-investigation-black-women-birth/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>CNN</strong></a>.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">RELATED: <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/black-native-mothers-most-maternal-mortality-rates/?_gl=1*3nirsx*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTQyNzYxNTg1NC4xNjg5MTg2NDYx*_ga_V2HX8YP3XL*MTY4OTI1MzExMS4zLjAuMTY4OTI1MzExMS4wLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black &; Native Mothers Most Impacted As Maternal Mortality Rates DOUBLE Since Late ’90s, Study Finds</a></h5>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Federal Probe Spurred By Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against Cedars-Sinai Over 2016 Death</h3>
<p>Kira Johnson ultimately died from massive internal bleeding after a routine cesarean section, autopsy records show.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/cedars-sinai-medical-center-facing-federal-probe-treatment/story?id=101165260" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a>, before Johnson&#8217;s death, her husband pleaded with medical staff to provide her proper care after noticing blood in her catheter. However, his pleas were allegedly &#8220;ignored,&#8221; and his wife was only attended to ten hours later, contributing to her passing.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says they are working &#8220;to ensure equity and equality in health care.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv">&#8220;Maternal health is a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and one in which the HHS Office for Civil Rights is working on around the country to ensure equity and equality in health care,&#8221; an HHS spokesperson told <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/cedars-sinai-medical-center-facing-federal-probe-treatment/story?id=101165260" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a> Wednesday. &#8220;To protect the integrity of this ongoing investigation, we have no further comment.&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The spokesperson added that the medical center is &#8220;concerned&#8221; about the disparities in maternal care between Black and non-Black mothers.</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv">&#8220;Cedars-Sinai clinicians, leaders, and researchers have long been concerned with national disparities in Black maternal health, and we are proud of the work we&#8217;ve done (and continue to do) to address these issues in Los Angeles as well as at the state and national levels,&#8221; the spokesperson said.</p>
</blockquote>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Numbers: How Many Black Women Are Dying From Childbirth Compared To Non-Black Women?</h3>
<p>The numbers certainly support a racial disparity, according to a recent <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2021/maternal-mortality-rates-2021.htm#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20the%20maternal%20mortality,for%20White%20and%20Hispanic%20women." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Centers for Disease Control</strong></a> report.</p>
<p>In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s nearly three times the rate of non-Hispanic White women. Those rates increase with age, according to the agency.</p>
<p><amp-twitter data-tweetid="1679211831683059712" layout="responsive" width="600" height="480"></amp-twitter></p>
<p>Meanwhile, maternal death rates for Black women in the United States have continued to spike for decades, per CNN.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/features/maternal-mortality/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>CDC</strong></a> ultimately found several factors behind such racial disparities, which included &#8220;implicit bias&#8221; and &#8220;structural racism.&#8221;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Hospital Seeks Solutions For Disparity, Including $2.2M In Grants, Training On Unconscious Bias</h3>
<p>A spokesperson said Cedars-Sinai will be distributing over $2.2 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that deal with racial disparities in childbirth mortality rates, according to ABC News.</p>
<p>The hospital will also hold annual training on unconscious bias to address the growing racial disparity in maternal care.</p>
<p>The spokesperson added that the medical center will work with the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative to create &#8220;standardized treatment protocols for the most common causes of maternal morbidity and mortality,&#8221; the outlet reports.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/cedars-sinai-medical-center-facing-federal-probe-treatment/story?id=101165260" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a>, Johnson has since shared a statement regarding his efforts for hospital reform.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;My hope is that this will have an impact not only on what&#8217;s happening at Cedars-Sinai but other hospitals across the country.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
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