WHEREAS, The health and welfare of Latinas is an issue of great importance to women, infants, their families, and all Californians and is, therefore, of interest to the Legislature; and

WHEREAS, California is home to more than 7,000,000 Latinas, and Latinas account for nearly 50 percent of births in California; and

WHEREAS, According to the March of Dimes data on the percentage of births by race or ethnicity in the County of Kern from 2017–2019, the percentage of live births to Latinas is 62.1 percent, 25.7 percent for White mothers, and 5.8 percent for Black mothers; and

WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Latina mothers were 80 percent as likely to receive late or no prenatal care as compared to non-Latina mothers. Regular prenatal care throughout a pregnancy helps to catch potential concerns early and helps reduce the risk of pregnancy and birth complications. There is a need for prenatal care education, and the state needs to review the prenatal care standards; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 56 percent of low-income Latina immigrants of reproductive age are uninsured. Latina immigrants face a range of reproductive health barriers and disparities. Many of the disparities facing Latina immigrants can be attributed to the lack of adequate health care coverage and access to services. Immigrant Latinas also have limited access to culturally competent and linguistically appropriate care, as well as important reproductive health information. As a result of these barriers, Latina immigrants are more likely to forego essential preventive care, including prenatal care. More outreach needs to be conducted for Latina immigrants; and

WHEREAS, Prenatal care is a vital and basic component of comprehensive reproductive health care, and yet Latinas are less likely to utilize this service than other women. Expanding access to prenatal care services is a key aspect of an overall policy agenda to improve the reproductive health status of Latinas; and

WHEREAS, Migrant Latina farmworkers also have significantly higher rates of low birth weight and preterm births than the national average due to dangerous work-related conditions. A higher proportion of Latina workers, 28.7 percent, reported a family income below the poverty level. These lower socioeconomic factors contribute to less access to prenatal care and higher pregnancy complications. There should be a demand for onsite health care services for migrant Latina farmworkers and all farmworkers in general; and

WHEREAS, In California, 59.4 percent of Latinos receive Medi-Cal insurance coverage. According to the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Health Policy Research, Latinos in California are less likely to have health insurance due to a lack of employer-provided coverage. In turn, Latinos experience less access to health services, ultimately resulting in poorer health outcomes. The end result is a separate and unequal system of health care, one for the insurance program with the largest proportion of Latinos (Medi-Cal), and one for the other principal insurance plans, whose recipients are disproportionately non-Latino. The state needs to review Medi-Cal prenatal and pregnancy coverage and expand this coverage for the health and welfare of a large percentage of births in the state; and

WHEREAS, The County of Kern has the second highest infant mortality rate of 6.1 per 1,000 births, second only to the County of San Luis Obispo. This high infant mortality rate calls for a higher level neonatal intensive care unit in the County of Kern; and

WHEREAS, Latinas face a larger pay gap than women overall. Latinas earn only $0.55 for every dollar paid to White men. This makes it more difficult for Latinas to gain access to health care overall and safe health care for themselves and their families. With so many Latinas working as essential workers, the state needs to review a living wage for California mothers; now, therefore, be it