Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: This website provides information about the Healthy Start program, administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), that works to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy in high-risk communities. The program focuses on enhancing mothers' health, preventing infant death, and eliminating health disparities through comprehensive, personalized care. The website offers several key resources, including a downloadable Healthy Start Fact Sheet providing program overview, links to evaluation reports showing program effectiveness, information about the Healthy Start EPIC Center for training and technical assistance, and access to the CAREWare database system for data management. Visitors can also find a program locator tool to find local Healthy Start sites, details about grant awards from 2019-2024 (including specific community-based doula initiatives), and contact information for additional questions. The site highlights program accomplishments, showing that Healthy Start participants receive early prenatal care, well-woman visits, and depression/interpersonal violence screenings at higher rates than national averages. The website also explains the structure of the Community Consortium approach and describes the Alumni Peer Navigator initiative that employs former program participants to help current families access needed services.

Contact: U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Secondary Telephone: (833)852-6262 Web Site: https://mchb.hrsa.gov

• Link

Keywords: Health care disparities, Health promotion, Healthy Start, Infant health services, Infant mortality, Maternal health services, Perinatal care, Prevention

Annotation: This report presents a roadmap of California's Birthing Care Pathway initiative launched by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to address maternal health disparities and improve outcomes for pregnant and postpartum Medi-Cal members. It describes the current state of maternal health in California, highlighting concerning trends in pregnancy-related mortality and severe maternal morbidity with significant racial disparities affecting Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander individuals. The document outlines DHCS' strategic approach to improve maternal health through policy solutions developed with input from diverse stakeholders, including Medi-Cal members. Key components include strengthening provider access, enhancing clinical care coordination, providing whole-person care, and modernizing maternity care payment systems. The report details recent Medi-Cal policy enhancements for perinatal care and describes California's participation in the federal Transforming Maternal Health Model to further strengthen delivery systems in selected Central Valley counties.

Contact: California Department of Health Care Services, P.O. Box 997413, MS 4400, Sacramento,, CA 95899-7413 , Fax: E-mail: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Pages/contact_us.aspx Web Site: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/

• PDF

Keywords: California, Health care disparities, Maternal health, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Model programs, Perinatal care, Policy development, Postpartum care, Quality improvement, State initiatives, Trends

Annotation: This workbook provides guidance for implementing evidence-based practices to improve care for pregnant and postpartum individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD). It summarizes the evidence on the significant risks of CVD in pregnancy, which can exacerbate pre-existing conditions or lead to new disorders due to the hemodynamic changes of pregnancy. The workbook presents data from Missouri's Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review, finding that CVD accounted for 30% of pregnancy-related deaths from 2017-2021, with most deemed preventable and Black women disproportionately impacted. To address this crisis, the AIM Cardiac Conditions in Obstetric Care patient safety bundle components are provided, with detailed strategies for implementing universal cardiac risk screening, rapid response protocols, cardio-obstetric teams, care coordination, patient education, and equity-focused data monitoring. Emphasis is placed on early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment to prevent complications and death. Resources and references are included for further training and implementation.

Contact: Missouri Perinatal Quality Collaborative , Missouri PQC, Missouri Hospital Association , 4712 Country Club Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65109-4541, Telephone: 573-893-3700 E-mail: https://mopqc.org/contact Web Site: https://mopqc.org

• PDF

Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases, Evidence-based medicine, Guidelines, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Missouri, Obstetrical complications, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Prevention, Quality improvement, Resources for professionals, State initiatives

Annotation: This report examines the critical impact of mental health and substance use disorders on maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States, highlighting how suicide and substance use-related overdoses account for over 20 percent of postpartum deaths. It presents promising approaches from states including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, New Hampshire, and California that integrate maternity care with behavioral health services and social supports. The report outlines six key recommendations for improving care: supporting dedicated multidisciplinary care teams, centering people with lived experience to drive health equity, normalizing substance use care, training all staff on bias and stigma, expanding the community-based workforce including doulas and peer recovery specialists, and implementing harm reduction and street medicine approaches. The authors emphasize that with nearly every state now providing 12 months of postpartum Medicaid coverage, there are unprecedented opportunities to implement integrated, trauma-informed, non-punitive care models that can significantly reduce maternal mortality and improve outcomes for families.

Contact: Center for Health Care Strategies, 300 American Metro Boulevard, Suite 125, Hamilton, NJ 08619, Telephone: (609) 528-8400 Fax: (609) 586-3679 Web Site: http://www.chcs.org

• Link

Keywords: Substance abusing pregnant women, Community participation, Disorders, Health care reform, Initiatives, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Medicaid, Mental health, Model programs, Perinatal addiction, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Quality improvement, Risk factors, Service integration, Substance use disorders

Annotation: This evidence-to-action brief focuses on Action 1.4 of the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, which aims to strengthen risk-appropriate care in rural and urban areas by encouraging states to implement the CDC Levels of Care Assessment Tool (LOCATe). The document explains that LOCATe is a web-based, standardized assessment of birthing facilities that allows states to see the distribution of levels of care throughout the state, supporting perinatal regionalization to ensure pregnant people receive care in facilities with appropriate capabilities. It presents maternal mortality data showing significant racial disparities, with non-Hispanic Black women being 2.6 times more likely to experience maternal death compared to non-Hispanic White women in 2021, and highlights that more than 2.2 million women of childbearing age live in maternity care deserts. The document includes examples of state maternal health innovations and evidence-based strategies, emphasizing that risk-appropriate care implementation should occur alongside efforts to address unconscious racial bias in healthcare to effectively reduce severe maternal morbidity and mortality.

Contact: Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC Web Site: https://maternalhealthlearning.org/

• Link

Keywords: Birthing centers, Data, Health facilities, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Perinatal care, Prevention, Regional factors, Rural health, Standards, Urban health

Annotation: This website presents an overview of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Hear Her campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of potentially life-threatening maternal warning signs during and after pregnancy. The site lists the signs and symptoms to be aware of; offers guidance for friends and family members of people who are pregnant; provides expert perspectives on how health professionals can help prevent pregnancy related deaths; and shares personal stories about pregnancy-related complications from American Indian women and others at risk of not being heard. Hear Her Campaign materials, including posters and handouts, conversation guides, and sample social media posts are also available on the site.

Contact: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027, Telephone: (800) 232-4636 Secondary Telephone: (888) 232-6348 E-mail: https://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/forms/contact-us.html Web Site: http://www.cdc.gov

• Link

Keywords: Maternal mortality, Media campaigns, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Pregnancy, Prevention, Racial discrimination

Annotation: This patient safety bundle provides actionable steps that can be adapted to a variety of health care facilities and resource levels to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients with perinatal mental health conditions. It provides broad direction for incorporating perinatal mood and anxiety disorder screening, intervention, referral, and follow-up into maternity care practice across health care settings. Components include implementation details and resources, a data collection plan, an evidence-informed "change package," and learning modules.

Contact: Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, 409 12th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20024, E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: https://saferbirth.org/

• Link

Keywords: Data collection, Evidence-based medicine, Health care quality indicators, Health metrics, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Measures, Mental health, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Prevention, Protocols, Quality improvement, Resources for professionals, Safety

Annotation: This evidence review addresses racial inequities in the maternal health care and outlines evidence-informed approaches that address gaps in access to care; adopt and incentivize high-value models of care; diversity the perinatal workforce; and invest in community-based organizations.

Contact: Commonwealth Fund, One East 75th Street, New York, NY 10021, Telephone: (212) 606-3800 Fax: (212) 606-3500 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.commonwealthfund.org

• Link

Keywords: Health equity, Health status disparities, Maternal Morbidity, Maternal Mortality, Maternal health, Perinatal care, Policy, Postpartum care, Prevention

Annotation: This knowledge brief from the World Health Organization (WHO) addresses the implementation of maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) as part of broader quality of care (QoC) efforts for maternal and newborn health. It explains how MPDSR generates quality information on leading causes of maternal and perinatal deaths that can inform prioritization of quality improvement interventions. The brief presents practical considerations for strengthening synergies between MPDSR and QoC structures and processes at national, subnational, and facility levels, with examples from Ethiopia and Nigeria where MPDSR committees and QoC teams have been successfully aligned or integrated. It includes a framework showing how MPDSR cycle components can connect with the Plan-Do-Study-Act approach used in quality improvement, along with options for organizational structures that promote coordination between MPDSR and QoC activities. The document concludes with emerging questions for implementation and learning that can guide future efforts to maximize the impact of these complementary approaches.

Contact: World Health Organization, 20, Avenue Appia, Geneva, Switzerland , Telephone: (+ 41 22) 791 21 11 Fax: (+ 41 22) 791 3111 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.who.int/en

• PDF

Keywords: Coordination, Death, International health, Maternal health, Maternal mortality, Perinatal mortality, Population surveillance, Quality improvement, Service integration

Annotation: This document provides key information to identify perinatal health issues and help guide decision-making by the Washington State Department of Health and the Department of Social and Health Services. The indicators were derived from Washington State birth, fetal death, and death certificate data, the First Steps Database, and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. The report includes highlights, a list of areas of concern, and series of key indicator tables. A list of sources is included.

Contact: Washington State Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health, Assessment Unit, P.O. Box 47835, Olympia, WA 98504-7835, Telephone: (360) 236-3533 E-mail: [email protected] Available from the website.

• 2018 Data

Keywords: Breastfeeding, Cesarean section, Infant health, Infant mortality, Low birthweight, Medicaid, Perinatal health, Pregnancy, Smoking during pregnancy, Statistics, Washington, Women', s health

Annotation: This brief identifies evidence-informed strategies that state Title V programs may consider implementing to increase the percentage of very low birth weight (<1500 gm) infants born in hospitals with a level III or higher neonatal intensive care unit. Contents include information about the methods and results of the evidence review, key findings, and implications. The full review is also available. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Contact: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Women's and Children's Health Policy Center, 615 North Wolfe Street, Room E4143, Baltimore, MD 21205, Telephone: (410) 502-5450 Fax: (410) 502-5831 Web Site: http://www.jhsph.edu/wchpc Available from the website.

• PDF

Keywords: Block grants, Childbirth, Evidence-based practice, High risk pregnancy, Hospitals, Infant mortality, Intervention, Literature reviews, Low birthweight, Measures, Model programs, Neonatal intensive care units, Newborn infants, Perinatal care, Policy development, Program planning, Protective factors, Regional medical centers, Regional planning, Resources for professionals, State MCH programs, Systems development, Title V programs

Annotation: This document identifies evidence-informed strategies that state Title V programs might consider implementing to increase the percentage of very low birth weight (<1500 gm) infants born in a hospital with a level III or higher neonatal intensive care unit. Contents include an introduction and background; review methods and results, including search results, characteristics of studies reviewed, intervention components, summary of study results, and evidence rating and evidence continuum; and implications of the review. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Contact: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Women's and Children's Health Policy Center, 615 North Wolfe Street, Room E4143, Baltimore, MD 21205, Telephone: (410) 502-5450 Fax: (410) 502-5831 Web Site: http://www.jhsph.edu/wchpc Available from the website.

• Review
• Brief

Keywords: Block grants, Childbirth, Evidence-based practice, High risk pregnancy, Infant mortality, Intervention, Literature reviews, Low birthweight, Measures, Model programs, Neonatal intensive care units, Newborn infants, Perinatal care, Policy development, Program planning, Resources for professionals, State MCH programs, Title V programs

Annotation: This guide provides information about reducing infant mortality and promoting perinatal oral health in Michigan. It discusses a statewide perinatal oral health initiative, an infant-mortality-reduction plan, the national and local landscapes, and transmission of cariogenic bacteria. It also includes guidance for perinatal care health professionals and oral health professionals, a visual guide for common oral health conditions, and referral resources to assist in facilitating oral health care for pregnant women.

Contact: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Capitol View Building, 201 Townsend Street, Lansing, MI 48913, Telephone: (517) 373-3740 Web Site: http://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs Available from the website.

• PDF

Keywords: Forms, Infant mortality, Infants, Michigan, Oral health, Oral health care, Perinatal care, Perinatal health, Pregnant women, Preventive health services, Referrals, State programs

Annotation: This document provides recommendations and strategies for improving birth outcomes in Connecticut. Contents include the list of organizations represented on the Connecticut Coalition to Improve Birth Outcomes and how they used policy analysis tools to identify priorities and recommendations, and the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network that supports the strategies outlined in the plan. Topics include addressing socioeconomic factors, making the healthy choices the easy choice, protecting individuals, implementing evidence-based interventions in clinical settings, and providing individual or public educational messages and support. Information about the perinatal landscape, emerging issues, and suggestions for using the plan are also included.

Contact: Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, 70 Audubon Street, New Haven, CT 06510-9755, Telephone: (203) 777-2386 Fax: (203) 787-6584 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.cfgnh.org Available from the website.

• Link

Keywords: Coalitions, Collaboration, Connecticut, Ethnic groups, Health disparities, Infant mortality, Infants, Low birthweight, Networking, Outcome and process assessment, Perinatal care, Pregnant women, Preterm birth, Program improvement, Service integration, Statewide planning, Systems development

Annotation: This set of slides describes the Collaborative Improvement & Innovation Network (CoIIN) to Reduce Infant Mortality, including its aims, strategies, and measures, including reducing early elective delivery and smoking rates among pregnant women, increasing safe sleep practices and mothers delivering infants at the appropriate level of care, and changing Medicaid policies to increase the number of women who receive interconception care. It provides data showing trends from 2011 to 2013 and other accomplishments and the secrets of its success. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Contact: Secretary's Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality, U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Web Site: http://www.hrsa.gov/advisorycommittees/mchbadvisory/InfantMortality/index.html Available from the website.

• Link

Keywords: Childbirth, Infant mortality, Perinatal care, Preconception care, Prevention programs, Regional programs, Smoking, Women', s health

Annotation: This toolkit presents lessons learned from the State Infant Mortality Collaborative including experiences of and guidance from five teams relevant to the analysis and interpretation of perinatal data. Topics include the importance of infant mortality as a key indicator of population health, selecting indicators of infant mortality and data sources, methodological and statistical approaches to analyzing data and interpreting findings, and translating findings into programs and policies.

Contact: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, 1825 K Street, N.W., Suite 250, Washington, DC 20006-1202, Telephone: (202) 775-0436 Fax: (202) 478-5120 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.amchp.org Available from the website.

• Link

Keywords: Case studies, Data, Infant mortality, Information dissemination, Model programs, Needs assessment, Perinatal influences, Policy development, State MCH programs

Annotation: [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Contact: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, CB# 7590, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, Telephone: (919) 966-5011 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.schsr.unc.edu Price unknown.

• PDF

Keywords: Data collection, Health statistics, Infant mortality, Low birthweight, MCH programs, Neonatal mortality, Perinatal health, Perinatal mortality, Region IV, SPRANS, Southern United States, Statistics

Annotation: This compendium is a collection of recommendations for states to address infant mortality, supplemented by action steps, examples, and case studies. Topics include implementing health-promotion efforts; improving access to health care for women before, during, and after pregnancy; and ensuring health care quality for all women and infants. The compendium also discusses implementing maternal-risk screening for all women of reproductive age, enhancing service integration for all women and infants, developing data systems to understand and inform efforts, and promoting social equity.

Contact: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, 1825 K Street, N.W., Suite 250, Washington, DC 20006-1202, Telephone: (202) 775-0436 Fax: (202) 478-5120 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.amchp.org Available from the website.

• Link

Keywords: Infant mortality, Perinatal health, Policy, Pregnancy outcome, Pregnant women, Program improvement, Statewide planning, Women

Annotation: This fact sheet describes a community approach and an analytic framework for investigating and addressing high infant mortality rates in urban settings. The fact sheet describes the development of the Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) approach and how it is used to monitor progress, (surveillance), guide public health planning, and prioritize prevention activities. Related resources including training materials, a learning network, presentations, data tables, and publications are available from the website.

Contact: CityMatCH, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, 982170 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-2170, Telephone: (402) 552-9500 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.citymatch.org Available from the website.

• Fact Sheet
• Program Website

Keywords: Community action, Data analysis, Infant mortality, Interdisciplinary approach, Perinatal influences, Planning, Urban environment

Annotation: This webinar, broadcast January 10, 2012, provides an orientation to the application process and a review of the Healthy Start program requirements, as well as the Healthy Start role in addressing disparities in perinatal health and reducing infant death rates. Additional topics include key measures and the Healthy Start logic model, core interventions, perinatal and postpartum depression, interconception care for women, evaluation and performance measures, and coordination with state Title V agencies.

Contact: U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Secondary Telephone: (833)852-6262 Web Site: https://mchb.hrsa.gov Available from the website.

• Link

Keywords: Audiovisual materials, Healthy Start, Infant mortality, Maternal health services, Perinatal health, Preconception care, Pregnant women, Program descriptions, Program evaluation