Demonstrators protest outside of Cedars-Sinai, demand equitable maternal care – NBC Los Angeles

A planned demonstration by the non-profit “4Kira4Moms” was held outside Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Thursday, demanding the hospital provide safe and equitable maternal care as well as commitment to improving Black maternal health.

Charles Johnson’s wife Kira, who the non-profit honors, died after what was supposed to be a routine c-section at Cedars-Sinai.

Court documents and medical records show her surgeon took just 17 minutes to operate and she eventually bled to death.

Johnson says their pleas for help were ignored because of their race. By the time she was taken back into the operating 10 hours later, it was too late

Last month a federal probe into Cedars-Sinai’s treatment of patients of color, particularly in labor and delivery, ended when the hospital reached an agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights.

But advocates say that agreement doesn’t go far enough.

Johnson also expressed concern about the oversight of the agreement, considering anticipated changes to the Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump Administration.

Cedars-Sinai responded to Thursday’s demonstration with the following statement: 

“Cedars-Sinai appreciates and values the advocacy of organizations, including 4kira4moms, in elevating awareness of disparities in black maternal health, and we share a common goal of ensuring that all birthing patients receive high-quality, safe and equitable care. We welcome dialogue with patients and community organizations in advocating for progress as we continue to advance this urgent work—and that is why we have offered to meet with 4kira4moms to foster greater collaboration. The recent agreement with the Office of Civil Rights demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring safe and equitable outcomes through education, accountability and rigorous quality initiatives aimed at addressing disparities in maternal health. We have embraced the opportunity to partner with the office to strengthen our longstanding dedication to equity for all those who entrust us with their care. Cedars-Sinai has led substantial efforts over the last decade to understand and address the effects of bias in healthcare and promote equitable outcomes for our birthing patients, one of our highest priorities. Among other initiatives, we have introduced an online tool to anonymously report suspected bias in labor and delivery settings, instituted mandatory annual unconscious bias education, created clinical and research programs to improve maternal health outcomes and collaborated with community partners to further reduce black maternal health disparities. We remain committed to partnering with organizations in the community to build on this important work.“

The full list of demands from the non-profit to Cedars-Sinai can be found here.