Proper access to resources such as childcare, nutritious foods and housing helps people of reproductive age and their families lead a healthy life. However, these resources are not fully available in all geographic areas and communities in the United States.
People in poor communities of these services, who have historically been disproportionately affected by strict policies, minimal support services, and limited delivery times and locations, are mothers and children, including childbirth and postnatal complications. There is an increased risk of adversely affecting your health. People living in rural areas, people of color, and individuals experiencing language and cultural barriers are at particular risk, and COVID-19 exacerbates these disparities.
To improve maternal and child health, organizations and institutions can design care systems that meet the needs of their clients and communities. Using an interdisciplinary approach, these stakeholders can work to better coordinate and integrate the design and delivery of services while creating a structure that attracts the voice of the community.
Teams backed by Virginia and Washington Health Impact Projects are adopting this approach as part of the Calling All Sectors Initiative. This is a cross-sectoral “core team” collaboration between nine states and Washington, DC, addressing maternal and child health issues. .. At the heart of their efforts, these teams help connect state agencies, community-based organizations, and healthcare providers to the groups they serve. Research shows that community involvement helps institutionalize best practices for health programs and services. And policies and programs are most effective when informed by influential people and when equity strategies are incorporated to address the driving forces of health inequalities.
In Virginia, the core team is working to address the root causes of racial disparities in severe maternal and child morbidity and mortality, paying attention to racial equality and community voice. Inequality in maternal and child health continues in certain regions throughout the state, especially among low-income and minority groups. A recent needs assessment identified health inequality, medical infrastructure, and coordination as priorities between Virginia’s maternal and child health programs and providers.
To address these inequality, the team will work with hospitals by working with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association Foundation (VHHAF), Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative Research, and the Virginia Ministry of Health in collaboration with other partners. We are strengthening partnerships between community-based organizations. These groups work together to support VHHAF’s Maternal Health Collaborative (MHC). It aims to give a group of mothers access to community resources such as stable housing, income, food and a range of healthcare.
VHHAF MHC promotes partnerships between hospitals and community-based organizations to ensure that individuals are supported before birth, during pregnancy, and in the first year of childbirth. This includes providing technical assistance when hospitals perform data analysis and assessing compliance with culturally and linguistically appropriate service (CLAS) standards (15 to increase the fairness of medical and healthcare organizations). Action steps), and the provision of racial equity training. Collaboratives also work with community organizations to develop work plans that address out-of-hospital factors that contribute to inequality in childbirth outcomes. These work plans include efforts to assess social needs, provide care coordination, and connect patients with trusted resources and organizations with community members.
The Washington state core team identifies and coordinates policies and registration opportunities for family support programs across state agencies, including the Special Supplementary Nutrition Program (WIC) for women, babies, and children, to give birth and their babies. Trying to improve the outcome of.
According to data from the state’s Infant Mortality Reduction Report, African-American infants have twice the infant mortality rate of white infants, and racial inequality has continued for the past decade. The report’s recommendations include strengthening care coordination by coordinating health programs that contribute to protective factors and improving support for infants and families at the highest risk of poor birth outcomes. I was there.
Despite the high eligibility rates for the WIC program, some counties have low registration rates for African Americans. To improve access to qualified families’ WIC services, the core team reviews existing community assessment data to better understand what participants identify as strengths, needs, and priorities. We are looking for ways to include the voice of the community. The team has also established a Participant Advisory Board to understand the role of internal and external policies in accessing services, such as eligibility criteria and priority areas.
Bird Bar Place is a non-profit organization that provides direct services and brings sustainable and equitable improvements to the African-American and Black communities, and is a community partner for the Washington state team. Together, they work with families to develop best practices for engaging the community in credible partnerships and informing and guiding the work of the WIC program.
Increasing the outcome of a healthy childbirth by improving the care system is a complex process. State agencies, regional groups, and their partners need to put the voice of the community at the center to build relationships, trust, and understanding between sectors. Washington and Virginia teams are coordinating such partnerships and initiatives to leverage state and local data sources, identify service gaps, and improve partnership and program coordination and integration. .. This is an effort to help parents and babies lead the healthiest lives.
Maura Dwyer is Senior Manager and Kerk Allen is the Chief Associate of The Pew Charitable Trust’s Health Impacts Project.
