(Congresswoman Lauren Underwood)

Assignment 1

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood is the first woman of color, and a millennial to be elected to the house of congress. She also serves as the youngest African American woman in the United States House of Representatives. Before she was elected, she served with the Medicaid plan in Chicago, ensuring it offered high-quality and cost-efficient healthcare services. She was also the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) senior advisor, aiding communities in the US to prevent, prepare, and respond to public health emergencies such as disasters and bioterror threats (American Nurses Association, n.d.). AT HHS, she supported the implementation of the Affordable Care Act to widen Medicare services, improve healthcare quality, and make progressive changes to private insurance. Congresswoman Lauren Underwood was also an educator, teaching future nurse practitioners via Georgetown University’s online master’s program. She graduated from Michigan University and Johns Hopkins University.

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood introduced the Momnibus Act 2021, a 12-bill package seeking to deal with long-standing pregnancy and birth outcomes disparities. She introduced the package on February 8 2021, supported by Black Maternal Health Caucus Co-Chair Congresswoman Alma Adams and Senator Cory Booker (Columbia School of Nursing, 2021). She persists in action to end the disparity, considering the US is among the leading countries in maternal mortality rates worldwide. Women of color are three to four times more likely to die during childbirth, despite being controlled for income, education, prenatal care, and insurance status. According to Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, African American women are six times more likely to die during childbirth or from pregnancy complications, which has been the same for decades. The package of bills offers an opportunity to address these disparities and save lives. She calls for relevant stakeholders to invest in social determinants of health, including nutrition, housing, transportation and community groups supporting maternal health and fostering equity (Columbia School of Nursing, 2021). The Perinatal Workforce Act is also part of the Momnibus, aiming to broaden nurse midwives, certified midwives, doulas and obstetricians’ proportions to increase provider availability during childbirth. (Congresswoman Lauren Underwood)

References

American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Nurses serving in congress.  https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/federal/nurses-serving-in-congress/

Columbia School of Nursing. (2021, February 23). Why nurses should be guiding, making health policy: rep. Underwood offers view from the hill. https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/news/why-nurses-should-be-guiding-making-health-policy-rep-underwood-offers-view-hill

 

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