Nurse-midwife’s death shows all are at risk when birthing while Black

Her extensive healthcare education adds to the irony of her death 

A study found pregnancy-related deaths are 1.6 times higher among college-educated Black women. image credit: Pexels.com/Ivan S 

From our partners at URL Media  

Once again, the nation’s Black maternal health crisis is in sharp focus, this time because of the January 2 death of Dr. Janell Green Smith, a doctor of nursing practice and certified nurse-midwife.  

“I need you to understand that Black maternal mortality is real. It does not care who you are. It does not care what you know.”

The cause of Green Smith’s death is unknown, but initial reports indicate she died from childbirth complications — a harsh irony given her career passion for improving maternal health outcomes for Black women. 

“Any Black maternal mortality is truly tragic and a reminder of the inequities that exist in this country and to keep Black birth workers steadfast in the work,” said Dr. Joy Cooper, a California-based ob-gyn and co-founder of Culture Care. “In addition to wanting to prevent our sisters’ deaths, we also work hoping to prevent our own.” 

Green Smith worked in South Carolina, where in 2021, 72 of every 100,000 live births among Black women resulted in their death before, during or after delivery, according to a 2025 report from the South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health. The ratio was 37 for white women. 

These disparities track with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2023 data that show Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate of nearly 50 deaths per 100,000 live births compared with 19 among white women and 16.9 among Hispanic women. But approximately 60% of Black maternal deaths are preventable, which was the case with Kira Johnson, TV Judge Glenda Hatchett’s daughter-in-law. Johnson died from hemorrhaging 12 hours after a Caesarean section, even though the surgeon was told she had internal bleeding.  

Green Smith said disparities like these are what led her to focus on patient education. “I wanted my patients to know that childbirth is a normal physiologic process, and they deserve to know what’s going on with their bodies and with their care,” Green Smith said in an Instagram video during 2024 Black Maternal Health Week. 

Healthcare advocates like Jen Hamilton lamented the loss of Green Smith’s advocacy and commitment to patient education. In an Instagram post about Green Smith’s passing, Hamilton, also a nurse, said, “I need you to understand that Black maternal mortality is real. It does not care who you are. It does not care what you know.” 

Green Smith’s extensive healthcare education adds to the irony of her death. But a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study found pregnancy-related deaths are 1.6 times higher among college-educated Black women than among white women with less than a high school degree. For instance, in 2017 Dr. Shalon Irving, a Ph.D. educated epidemiologist who studied health disparities, died from severe postpartum hypertension three weeks after giving birth.  

Despite longstanding disparities, researchers and advocates say maternal health outcomes can be improved by extending postpartum Medicaid coverage, expanding access to doulas and midwives, and strengthening hospital accountability for obstetric emergencies. But experts say these evidence-based interventions must be implemented broadly and consistently to prevent future deaths. 

In the meantime, here are five ways you can help end the Black maternal health crisis. 

Review BGX’s maternal health coverage.   Why are Black Women Still More Likely to Die in Childbirth?   Black Maternal Care Under Renewed Scrutiny After Viral Video  Black Mothers in the Deep South Grieve Lost Babies Alone  The Delta Doula Revolution