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Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

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Items in this list may be obtained from the sources cited. Contact information reflects the most current data about the source that has been provided to the MCH Digital Library.

Displaying records 1 through 4 (4 total).

United States of Care. No date. The 100 Weeks Project journey map. ,

Annotation: This online tool presents an overview of the "100 Weeks Project" by United States of Care, an initiative dedicated to addressing maternal health, particularly postpartum care, with a goal of ensuring women have comprehensive benefits for a full year after pregnancy by 2030. It maps the entire maternal journey—preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum—focusing on the disproportionate challenges faced by Black women, who are significantly more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes. The resource highlights pain points within the healthcare system, such as fragmented coverage, racial bias, and a lack of support for mental health and breastfeeding, alongside "bright spots" like community organizations and culturally-concordant care. State-level data illustrates disparities in access to perinatal health workers, postpartum depression screening rates, and insurance coverage for essential services like doula and lactation consultation. Ultimately, the project uses firsthand narratives and clinical data to advocate for systemic change and improved support throughout the critical 100-week period.

Keywords: Access to care, Barriers, Blacks, Healthcare disparities, Maternal health, Preconception care, Pregnancy, Prenatal care: Postpartum care

Lidia Horvat, Horey D, Romios P, & Kis‐Rigo J. 5/1/2014. Cultural competence education for health professionals. The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 87

Annotation: This systematic review examines the effects of cultural competence education for health professionals on patient-related outcomes, health professional outcomes, and healthcare organization outcomes. It included five randomized controlled trials involving 337 healthcare professionals and 8400 patients, with at least 3463 patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. The review found low-quality evidence showing some improvements in patient involvement in care and health behaviors, but no evidence of effect on treatment outcomes or most evaluations of care. The authors developed a four-dimensional conceptual framework comprising educational content, pedagogical approach, structure of the intervention, and participant characteristics to provide consistency in describing and assessing interventions. They conclude that while cultural competence education shows some promise as a strategy to address health inequities, more rigorous research with greater methodological uniformity is needed to establish its effectiveness.c

Keywords: Cultural competency, Cultural diversity, Healthcare disparities, Minority groups, Resources for professionals

National Academy for State Health Policy. 2024. State strategies to strengthen the perinatal health Care system. Portland, OR: National Academy for State Health Policy,

Annotation: This blog post details policy and programmatic strategies states are implementing to strengthen the perinatal health care system, improve maternal health outcomes, and address disparities, particularly noting that Black women are 2.6 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. Based on an analysis of states’ strategic plans, the key priorities for supporting pregnant and postpartum women include (1) ensuring access to timely and high-quality care, citing examples such as Iowa’s Obstetrics Mobile Simulation Training Program and North Carolina’s Region IV Provider Support Network; (2) developing and sustaining the perinatal workforce, citing examples such as Illinois DocAssist, a free statewide psychiatric access program, and New Jersey’s Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center; and (3) supporting high-quality care coordination, citing examples such as California’s Enhanced Care Management Birth Equity Population of Focus under CalAIM and Texas’s High-Risk Maternal Care Coordination Services Program.

Keywords: Access to care, Blacks, California, Healthcare disparities, Illinois, Iowa, Maternal health, New Jersey, North Carolina, Perinatal care, Policy, State initiatives, Strategic plans, Texas

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2020. African American youth suicide: Report to Congress. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 51 pp.

Annotation: This report examines the differences in suicide rates between Black and White children aged 5-11. Requested and funded by the US Congress, the report examines the facts that contribute to these disparities using tables, grasps, and statistics. It builds on and augments the publication by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Emergency Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health, “Ring the Alarm: The Crisis of Black Suicide in America,” and it also contains information on interventions that can help prevent suicide.

Keywords: Adverse childhood experiences, Blacks, Healthcare disparities, Minority groups, Social bias, Social determinants of health, Social factors, Suicide
   

The MCH Library is one of six special collections at Georgetown University, the nation's oldest Jesuit institution of higher education. The library is supported through foundation, private, university, state, and federal funding. This information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by Georgetown University or the U.S. Government. Note: web pages whose development was supported by federal government grants are being reviewed to comply with applicable Executive Orders.