American Academy of Pediatrics Calls for Identifying, Addressing Social Inequities in High-risk Neonatal Care Delivery

The American Academy of Pediatrics has published a clinical report, “Social Inequities in High-Risk Neonatal Care Delivery,” that examines how interpersonal and structural discrimination can harm the health and well-being of high-risk infants and their families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). Published online July 20 in the August 2026 issue of Pediatrics, the report notes that inequities in neonatal care stem from intersecting factors such as race, ethnicity, language, geographic location, gender identity, sexual orientation, and national origin. The AAP states that these inequities are unacceptable and calls for accurate, routine monitoring of neonatal outcomes and care delivery by sociodemographic factors to identify and address gaps in health equity. Additional recommendations include investing in bilingual clinicians and professional medical interpreters to improve communication with families; educating health professionals on culturally humble care; and providing resources and support to address families’ social and mental health needs from NICU admission through discharge and post-hospitalization follow-up care.

Clinical reports created by AAP are written by medical experts, reflect the latest evidence in the field, and go through several rounds of peer review before being approved by the AAP Board of Directors and published in Pediatrics. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.