Kate Lisa is reporting for nystateofpolitics [dot] com. cesarean births take place in New York at more than twice the rate recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With a rate of 34 percent, New York ranks 12th in the country for deliveries by C-section. Surgical births can be necessary to save the lives of mother and child, but many occur out of convenience, inadequate communication or education with the patient and implicit bias. Assemblymember Amy Paulin, a Democrat from Scarsdale, is sponsoring four pieces of legislation to improve the state's surgical birth and maternal mortality rates. One was recently signed into law requiring hospitals to post the last five years of data surrounding maternity procedures, like C-sections and episiotomies, on their website. Making the data public will help pregnant women to make informed decisions and lead to improved related policy and research. The rate of cesarean births and risks are significantly higher among black women and people of color, and the maternal mortality rate for black women was more than four times greater than white women in 2018, according to the state Health Department. Black babies are four to six times more likely to die than white babies. Paulin continues work on two pieces of legislation that failed to progress this session to create a cesarean births review board to lower the rate in New York and require a health provider to provide written communication about the risks to each woman who schedules or has a cesarean delivery. Another one of Paulin's bills currently awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature would provide a premium reduction for physicians and licensed midwives who complete a midwifery or obstetrics risk management course. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed the measure in 2019 and Hochul has not indicated if she will sign the measure. “The path to progress on maternal mortality must address racial disparities in outcomes through an integrated approach that spans the entirety of the health care system," State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said, stressing that DOH is working with community partners to address the issue. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.