Adapting the Sutter Health inequity index, our team will create a maternal inequity index, that would measure inequities in maternity health status and health care, including maternal mental health. The tool would also be used to measure the health experiences of black and brown women at the intersections of age, ethnicity, SES, immigrant status, geography etc., and at multiple levels of maternity care, including prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum. Of particular interest are measuring experiences of care, including medical violence and coercion, vicarious and anticipated racism, as has been documented on the IRTH, as well as birthing apps for women of color. Generally speaking, this metric can be used to identify and address social racism, clinician bias, systemic racism resulting from deeply entrenched historically situated patterns of thinking and acting that are often least apparent.
