Maternal Health: Funding Cuts Amid an Ongoing Crisis

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The United States continues to grapple with a maternal health crisis characterized by significant racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity and mortality. Maternal mortality rates here are at least double (and sometimes triple) those of most other high-income countries, according to a 2024 Commonwealth Fund report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 80% of U.S. maternal deaths are preventable.

Recent data show some improvement in mortality and morbidity but persistent disparities in who is at greatest risk. Pregnancy-related deaths in 2023 decreased to 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births from a rate of 22.3 the year before, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Yet the maternal mortality rate for Black women and American Indian and Alaska Native women continues to be more than three times that of White women.

Federal changes threaten efforts to improve care and disparities 

As nurses and other maternal health providers work to address the complex underlying causes of these disparities, their efforts have been challenged in recent months by rapid and unprecedented federal funding and infrastructure cuts. The Trump administration has suspended Title X family planning and preventive health services funding, initiated widespread layoffs of federal health […]

The Repercussions of Trump Administration Cuts to NIH and Research Funding

From the first week of his administration, President Trump has targeted medical and academic research, cutting research funding to universities and slashing the workforce and budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Concerns about the future of medical research in the United States began on January 22, just three days into the new administration, when all meetings to review grant submissions at NIH were cancelled with no plan for rescheduling.

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Within days, NIH abruptly cut off funding for research projects that incorporated principles or language associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in any form, such as clinical trials focused on populations underrepresented in past research. In early February, NIH announced drastic reductions in the indirect costs rate, the percentage paid to universities for administrative and overhead costs of funded research studies. NIH funding of new grants fell precipitously; an analysis in STAT found a 28% reduction in new grant funding in the first three months of the administration. Then in March universities got hit, most notably Columbia and Harvard, with the Trump administration threatening to terminate all federal funding if universities did not comply with the administration’s policy demands. The loss […]

The Harm Done by Dismantling USAID

The Trump administration dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) abruptly in February, placing nearly all of its over 10,000 employees on administrative leave, freezing appropriated funds, and cancelling nearly 5,800 USAID-managed foreign assistance awards—effectively closing an agency that has led in global humanitarian assistance since it was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Shutting down the agency has dealt a devastating blow to low- and middle-income countries’ efforts to alleviate poverty, provide health care, and improve public health and education. USAID supported a wide variety of critical global programs, including  family planning, disease prevention and treatment, immunizations, and famine relief. Nurses played a critical role in USAID, providing education and training to strengthen severely limited in-country nursing and midwifery workforces, delivering direct care, and leading immunization and other health programs.

Deadly results.

A child in Tajikistan receives a polio vaccination during a campaign to halt a polio outbreak. Photo: USAID, via Wikimedia Commons

An estimated 119,000 children and 57,000 adults have died as a result of USAID funding cuts, according to a real-time tracking tool developed by Boston University associate professor […]

International Travel Preparation: Health and Safety Guide for Nurses

Exposure to infectious diseases during international travel has been in the news recently and it’s important to be aware of the types of risk posed by international travel as well as recommended pre- and post-travel interventions. Nurses, as a trusted health care voice, may receive questions from patients, family members, and others within their community—and nurses themselves may be preparing for international travel.

image via Unsplash

Therefore, how individuals can be be best prepared for international travel should be a point in patient education and personal education for nurses. International travel can be an enriching experience, but it also comes with certain health and safety risks. Proper preparation helps mitigate these risks and ensures a smoother and safer journey. The following information provides essential information on

  • risk assessment
  • food and water safety
  • insect protection
  • general safety considerations
  • and medical preparedness, including vaccines and travel-related medications.

More detailed information can be obtained by going to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website and consulting the Yellow Book, a recognized authority document freely available for access and download.

Risk Assessment

2025-04-14T10:20:37-04:00April 14th, 2025|infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|1 Comment

Grieving the Words: When Language Becomes a Battleground

Language is deeply personal. It reflects our values, identities, and professional contributions. Losing the words that have shaped our work can feel like erasure—like being forced to abandon principles we hold dear.

Yet, language evolves. It always has. We have witnessed this in every sphere of life. Once, it was acceptable for me to label my patient as “CPMR” (cerebral palsy with mental retardation). Just typing that phrase now makes me cringe. Today, we use person-first language, recognizing the dignity of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

As a Black woman, I have seen this shift in my own identity. We have been Negroes, Afro-Americans, African-Americans, and now—once again—Black. We have always been Black. In the 1970s, we were told to say it loud and proud, yet even today, some hesitate to use the term.

But something feels different about this current evolution of language. This shift is not happening organically, on our own terms. It is being forced—politically, legislatively, and strategically. I will admit that I have gone through a grieving process because of it. Kübler-Ross’s stages of grief remind me that loss, whether of a loved one or the language that defines the essence of one’s body of work, can evoke denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and […]

2025-03-31T09:28:27-04:00March 31st, 2025|Black nurses, Nursing, Public health|1 Comment
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