Background The COVID pandemic exposed many inadequacies in the maternity care system in the United States. Maternity care protocols put in place during this crisis often did not include input from childbearing people or follow prepandemic guidelines for high‐quality care. Departure from standard maternity care practices led to unfavorable and traumatic experiences for childbearing people. This study aimed to identify what childbearing people needed to achieve a positive birth experience during the pandemic. Methods This mixed‐methods, cross‐sectional study was conducted among individuals who gave birth during the COVID pandemic from 3/1/2020 to 11/1/2020. Participants were sampled via a Web‐based questionnaire that was distributed nationally. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were analyzed. Thematic and content analyses of qualitative data were based on narrative information provided by participants. Qualitative and convergent quantitative data were reported. Results Participants (n = 707) from 46 states and the District of Columbia completed the questionnaire with 394 contributing qualitative data about their experiences. Qualitative findings reflected women's priorities for (a) the option of community birth, (b) access to midwives, (c) the right to an advocate at birth, and (d) the need for transparent and affirming communication. Quantitative data reinforced these findings. Participants with a midwife provider felt significantly better informed. Those who gave birth in a community setting (at home or in a freestanding birth center) also reported significantly higher satisfaction and felt better informed. Participants of color (BIPOC) were significantly less satisfied and more stressed while pregnant and giving birth during the pandemic. Conclusions High‐quality maternity care places childbearing people at the center of care. Prioritizing the needs of childbearing people, in COVID times or otherwise, is critical for improving their experiences and delivering efficacious and safe care.

Pneumonia is a leading cause of death in New York City (NYC). We identified spatial clusters of pneumonia-associated hospitalisation for persons residing in NYC, aged ⩾18 years during 2010–2014. We detected pneumonia-associated hospitalisations using an all-payer inpatient dataset. Using geostatistical semivariogram modelling, local Moran'sIcluster analyses andχ2tests, we characterised differences between ‘hot spots’ and ‘cold spots’ for pneumonia-associated hospitalisations. During 2010–2014, there were 141 730 pneumonia-associated hospitalisations across 188 NYC neighbourhoods, of which 43.5% (N= 61 712) were sub-classified as severe. Hot spots of pneumonia-associated hospitalisation spanned 26 neighbourhoods in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, whereas cold spots were found in lower Manhattan and northeastern Queens. We identified hot spots of severe pneumonia-associated hospitalisation in the northern Bronx and the northern tip of Staten Island. For severe pneumonia-associated hospitalisations, hot-spot patients were of lower mean age and a greater proportion identified as non-Hispanic Black compared with cold spot patients; additionally, hot-spot patients had a longer hospital stay and a greater proportion experienced in-hospital death compared with cold-spot patients. Pneumonia prevention efforts within NYC should consider examining the reasons for higher rates in hot-spot neighbourhoods, and focus interventions towards the Bronx, northern Manhattan and Staten Island.

Introduction Health care systems will continue to face unpredictable challenges related to climate change. The COVID‐19 pandemic tested the ability of perinatal care systems to respond to extreme disruption. Many childbearing people in the United States opted out of the mainstream choice of hospital birth during the pandemic, leading to a 19.5% increase in community birth between 2019 and 2020. The aim of the study was to understand the experiences and priorities of childbearing people as they sought to preserve a safe and satisfying birth during the time of extreme health care disruption caused by the pandemic. Methods This exploratory qualitative study recruited participants from a sample of respondents to a national‐scope web‐based survey that explored experiences of pregnancy and birth during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Maximal variation sampling was used to invite survey respondents who had considered a variety of birth setting, perinatal care provider, and care model options to participate in individual interviews. A conventional content analysis approach was used with coding categories derived directly from the transcribed interviews. Results Interviews were conducted with 18 individuals. Results were reported around 4 domains: (1) respect and autonomy in decision‐making, (2) high‐quality care, (3) safety, and (4) risk assessment and informed choice. Respect and autonomy varied by birth setting and perinatal care provider type. Quality of care and safety were described in relational and physical terms. Childbearing people prioritized alignment with their personal philosophies toward birth as they weighed safety. Although levels of stress and fear were elevated, many felt empowered by the sudden opportunity to consider new options. Discussion Disaster preparedness and health system strengthening should address the importance childbearing people place on the relational aspects of care, need for options in decision‐making, timely and accurate information sharing, and opportunity for a range of safe and supported birth settings. Mechanisms are needed to build system‐level changes that respond to the self‐expressed needs and priorities of childbearing people.

he COVID-19 pandemic heightened the world's awareness of disparities, particularly in healthcare. 1 The combination of inadequate healthcare systems and deep-rooted structural racism has been the center of recent discussion.Immediate action is necessary to address the causes of disparate health outcomes. The evidence is clear that Black people are most affected and are the fi rst-line casualties in all areas of mortality and morbidity from birth to death. 1