Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: This article outlines barriers to health care access, including high health care costs, transportation barriers, and implicit bias and healthcare avoidance, and describes five potential solutions: (1) Expand insurance to cover health care costs; (2) Extend telehealth services; (3) Invest in mobile clinics; (4) Educate the public about multiple health care sites; and (5) Improve cultural responsiveness.

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Keywords: Access to care, Barriers

Annotation: This report highlights the growing housing affordability crisis across the United States; describes housing difficulties experienced by North Carolina (NC) parents and their children; and presents policy recommendations based on its findings. Included is a description of themes that emerged during focus groups with NC professionals serving families and interviews with parents.

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Keywords: Barriers, Child health, Families, Homelessness, Housing, Policy development, Socioeconomic factors, State initiatives

Annotation: This research brief provides information on Indigenous Peoples in the United States and U.S. territories, including geographic distribution, overall demographics, and trends in education, health, and well-being. It discusses the impact that colonization and Federal Indian Law has had on Indigenous children, youth, and families and recommends strategies that can be implemented at the local, state, and federal levels to improve health outcomes. The brief is intended for those who engage with and/or conduct or fund research, evaluation, or technical assistance focusing on Indigenous populations..

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Keywords: Alaska natives, American Indians, Cultural barriers, Cultural factors, Health equity, History, Initiatives, Legislation, Litigation, Pacific islanders, Policy, Statutes, Trends

Annotation: This issue brief provides an overview of the structural and systemic factors contributing to the maternal health crisis in the United States. It outlines the White House Blueprint's five major goals and presents data showing significant racial, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities in maternal health outcomes. The document examines key challenges including implicit bias, barriers for people with disabilities, limited healthcare access in rural areas, provider shortages, and socioeconomic factors. It also introduces the Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT) Framework for addressing maternal health inequities and details evidence-based resources and strategies for implementing solutions at state and local levels.

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Keywords: Access to care, Barriers, Health care disparities, Health equity, Implicit bias, Maternal health, Population surveillance, Racial factors, Sociocultural factors

Annotation: In this podcast episode, host Christie Allen and Dr. Gillispie-Bell delve into the difficulties of measuring equity and addressing barriers in maternal-child health data. They discuss the challenges of capturing accurate data in a fragmented healthcare system, the limitations of electronic medical records (EMRs) in measuring quality metrics, and the importance of contextualizing data within the broader landscape of social determinants of health. The two share insights from their experiences in quality improvement and offer a candid conversation about the need for continuous quality improvement, sustainability of positive changes, and the potential for data-driven innovation in addressing severe maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the United States. This episode is part of the AIM for Safer Birth series of podcasts that dive deeper into the rising severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality rates in the United States through a data-driven, quality improvement lens.

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Keywords: Barriers, Data, Data analysis, Data collection, Health equity, Maternal and child health research, Quality improvement

Annotation: This brief describes the maternal health crisis in the United States, noting that the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income nations, with more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths considered preventable. It explains how the crisis disproportionately affects people of color, particularly Black women who die at three to four times the rate of non-Hispanic White women from pregnancy-related complications. The document outlines key factors contributing to these disparities, including implicit and explicit racial bias, systemic bias, barriers for people with disabilities, limited access to healthcare facilities, lack of skilled providers, socioeconomic challenges, and domestic safety concerns. It presents the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, which identifies five goals and more than 50 action steps to improve maternal health, and introduces Evidence to Action Briefs developed by the Maternal Health Learning & Innovation Center to facilitate implementation. The brief includes detailed data visualizations depicting maternal mortality trends by race, ethnicity, geography, and causes of death, and features the ROOTT Framework that illustrates how structural and social determinants affect maternal health outcomes.

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Keywords: Barriers, Blacks, Data, Federal initiatives, Health care disparities, Health care systems, Maternal health, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Quality improvement, Service integration, Social determinants of health, Trends

Annotation: This report examines racial and ethnic inequities in children's access to developmental services through California's Department of Developmental Services (DDS). It quantifies and evaluates inequities in service access and expenditures and examines the effectiveness of the set of measures developed by DDS to monitor and prevent inequities related to race, culture, and primary language spoken. A summary of findings is provided along with recommendations for legislative improvements that could help eliminate disparities to services for children with developmental disabilities in the state of California.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Barriers, California, Children with developmental disabilities, Cultural factors, Ethnic factors, Racial factors, State legislation

Annotation: This research brief describes state options and actions that can be taken to extend Medicaid-related pregnancy coverage beyond 60 days postpartum. Included are examples of state legislation and federally-approved waiver requests.

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Keywords: , Access to health care, Barriers, Expanded eligibility, Medicaid, Model legislation, Postpartum care, State legislation

Annotation: This article outlines recommendations for improving financing for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), including potential innovations to address barriers, such as state Medicaid expansion for CYSHCN, greater transparency in medical necessity processes and determinations, and adequate reimbursement and funding.

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Keywords: Barriers, Children with special health care needs, Financing , Health care reform, Health insurance, Medicaid, Youth

Annotation: This health policy blog post, the third in a series from Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families, examines implementation pathways and payment structures for doula services in Medicaid programs. It analyzes key lessons learned from early adopter states Oregon and Minnesota, focusing on two core challenges: the legal authority under which states can authorize doula services and establishing sustainable reimbursement rates. The post explains how states have shifted from using Medicaid's "direct services" authority to the Affordable Care Act's preventive services pathway, which allows doulas to practice more independently. It details how states have adjusted reimbursement rates over time, with examples ranging from Minnesota's increase to $770 per birth to Oregon's planned increase to $1,500 per pregnancy. The analysis provides specific examples of how newer states like Virginia, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., and California are implementing doula coverage in Medicaid, incorporating lessons from earlier state experiences. The report emphasizes the importance of sustainable payment rates and reduced administrative barriers in advancing health equity, particularly for communities of color who experience disproportionate maternal health disparities.

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Keywords: Barriers, Doulas, Financing, Medicaid, Reimbursement, State initiatives

Annotation: This report addresses the severe maternal health crisis in the United States, noting that increasing rates of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity disproportionately affect Indigenous, Black, and other Communities of color and people with low incomes. The document promotes doula support as an effective model to improve care quality and outcomes. It presents evidence that continuous support by doulas during childbirth is associated with benefits such as increased likelihood of spontaneous vaginal birth and fewer cesarean births, while the extended model (including prenatal and postpartum support) is linked to reduced preterm birth, low birthweight, and improved breastfeeding outcomes. The report discusses different models, including private-pay and longitudinal community-based doula support, emphasizing the importance of culturally congruent, trauma-informed care within a birth justice framework. Major topics covered include barriers to access, such as insufficient Medicaid and private insurance reimbursement and inadequate compensation for doulas, as well as the implications of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. The document features detailed recommendations for federal and state policymakers and private-sector decisionmakers on covering doula services and supporting the workforce, and includes a comprehensive Resource directory

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Keywords: Access to care, Barriers, Childbirth, Doulas, Health equity, Maternal health, Models, Policy development

Annotation: This webinar focuses on maternal mental health within a cultural context, highlighting factors to consider when addressing the mental health needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in underserved communities. Culturally-sensitive approaches to MCH services that address postpartum depression and other mental health concerns are discussed by a variety of panelists during the hour-long video presentation.

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Keywords: Access to care, Cultural barriers, Cultural factors, Health equity, MCH services, Maternal health, Mental health, Postpartum depression, Racial factors, Risk factors, Service delivery

Annotation: This joint report from the Council on Medical Service and the Council on Science and Public Health presents a comprehensive examination of inequities and access barriers in maternal health care in the United States. The report analyzes root causes of the U.S. maternal mortality crisis, with a particular focus on racial and ethnic disparities in care and outcomes, and challenges in insurance coverage, especially through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The report outlines 16 detailed policy recommendations for the American Medical Association focused on 1) acknowledging and addressing the impact of structural racism in maternal care, 2) expanding insurance coverage (particularly postpartum Medicaid/CHIP coverage to 12 months), 3) improving data collection and research on disparities, 4) strengthening cultural humility in care delivery, 5) promoting collaboration with community organizations, and 6)ensuring adequate payment for evidence-based maternal care services. The report emphasizes the need for systemwide changes to improve maternal health outcomes and eliminate inequities through coordinated policy, payment, workforce development, and quality improvement initiatives.

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Keywords: Access to care, Barriers, Health equity, Health insurance, Maternal health, Maternal mortality, Medicaid, Policy development, Social Determinants of Health

Annotation: This report offers recommendations to address challenges to achieving equity in immunization and other system, policy and environmental barriers that result in differential receipt of vaccinations and refers specifically to vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for use in the United States for routine preventive care.

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Keywords: Barriers, Health equity, Immunization, Prevention

Annotation: This report highlights the significantly higher rates of child welfare involvement among inadequately-housed families and children, often resulting in foster care placement. It describes how homelessness and housing instability impact children; outlines national efforts to address the housing crisis; and describes ways in which child protection agencies can work with system partners to keep families together whenever possible.

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Keywords: Barriers, Child health, Child protection agencies, Child welfare, Families, Foster care, Homelessness, Housing, Initiatives, Socioeconomic factors

Annotation: This resource povides information on breastfeeding barriers and support services centered on the needs of populations disproportionately impacted by structural barriers that lead to low rates of breastfeeding. The resource underscores the importance of breastfeeding support services that are continuous, accessible, and coordinated, and provides recommendations and strategies that are consistently supportive of chest/breastfeeding families. The targetedd audience is local-level organizations and individuals that interacts with pregnant and postpartum families.

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Keywords: Barriers, Breast feeding promotion, Community based services, Lactation management, Public health

Annotation: This report explores how community-based maternal support services provided by community-based doulas and maternity community health workers can improve maternal health outcomes. It also highlights the results of a national environmental scan of organizations that are actively working toward eliminating maternal health disparities and building community connections through the community-based maternal support model. Common barriers to implementing this model are identified, and opportunities for Medicaid stakeholders to provide support and increased access to these services are highlighted.

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Keywords: Barriers, Childbirth, Community based services, Community health workers, Doulas , Maternal health, Medicaid, Model programs, Public health, Risk factors, Social support, initiatives

Annotation: This report summarizes findings and recommendations for increasing the cultural, linguistic, and health literacy competency of health professionals and health care delivery organizations throughout Maryland. Contents include recommendations for cultural competency standards and tiered reimbursement for medical and behavioral service settings, standards for multicultural health in patient-centered medical homes and other health care settings, and standards for continuing education in cultural competency for health care professionals.

• 2013-2020 Report
• 2019-2020 Update

Keywords: Access to health care, Continuing education, Cultural competence, Cultural diversity, Equal opportunities, Family centered care, Health care delivery, Health care disparities, Health disparities, Health literacy, Language barriers, Maryland, Medical home, Reimbursement, Standards, Work force

Annotation: This report focuses on the financial hardships facing families raising children on the autism spectrum. It discusses disability and sociodemographic characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorders, levels of family financial hardship, and safety net program use. Recommendations are included. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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Keywords: Autism, Children with special health care needs, Family support services, Financial barriers, Financial support, Statistics

Annotation: This report presents key perspectives, lessons learned, and policy recommendations for state- and federal-level initiatives that center around the work of doulas and midwives in addressing the nation’s maternal health crisis.The report discusses racial disparities in maternal and infant morbidity and mortality and describes how birth workers can help reduce health risks, particularly among black and indigenous individuals giving birth. Information and perspectives shared by doulas and midwives interviewed for the report fall into three major categories: 1) the role and importance of community-based birth workers and the re-centering of the community in pregnancy-related care; 2) guidelines for health care system integration and the role of government; and 3) the creation of a progressive vision for pregnancy-related care in the United States.

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Keywords: Alaska natives , American Indians, Barriers, Blacks, Childbirth, Community health services, Doulas, Maternal health, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Midwives, Pregnancy, Prevention services, Racial factors, Racism, Risk factors, Social support