Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: This workbook provides guidance for implementing preconception and interconception care, which focuses on optimizing the health of individuals before and between pregnancies to improve maternal and infant outcomes. It summarizes the evidence on the importance of addressing modifiable risk factors prior to pregnancy, such as chronic disease management, nutritional status, substance exposure, and preventive health services. The workbook highlights concerning trends in maternal morbidity and mortality in the U.S., with stark racial disparities, and presents Missouri-specific data on conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity that contribute to adverse outcomes. Evidence-based recommendations are provided for key components of preconception and interconception care across health care settings, including family planning, preventive screenings, chronic disease management, breastfeeding support, and depression screening. The workbook offers clinical tools and resources for providers to implement this care to promote optimal health for birthing people.

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Keywords: Guidelines, Health care disparities, Missouri, Preconception care, Prevention, Primary care, Risk factors, State initiatives

Annotation: This workbook provides guidance for implementing evidence-based practices to improve postpartum care during the transition from hospital discharge to outpatient follow-up. It summarizes trends in U.S. maternal mortality, with more than 50% of pregnancy-related deaths occurring in the postpartum period. The workbook outlines ACOG's updated recommendations for postpartum care as an ongoing process through 12 weeks after birth, including an initial visit within 3 weeks and a comprehensive visit by 12 weeks. It presents Missouri-specific data on the timing and causes of pregnancy-related deaths, low postpartum visit attendance rates, and shortages of obstetric and mental health providers. Key objectives and strategies are provided for improving postpartum transitions, such as implementing discharge templates and processes, increasing postpartum visit attendance, screening for medical and mental health conditions, providing linkages to specialist and community-based care, and leveraging Medicaid coverage extensions. The AIM Postpartum Discharge Transition Bundle components and resources for implementation are included.

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Keywords: Guidelines, Health care disparities, Missouri, Patient discharge, Postpartum care, Quality improvement, State initiatives

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.

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

Annotation: This issue brief describes the role of the doula; explains how doula support can reduce maternal health disparities and improve birthing outcomes; and provides examples of state Medicaid programs that cover doula care. The brief also addresses policy considerations; funding challenges, barriers to doula coverage, and considerations for states seeking to expand doula care.

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Keywords: Access to care, Doulas, Financing, Health care disparities, Labor companions, Maternal health, Medicaid, Policy, State initiatives

Annotation: This action brief discusses the importance of prioritizing respectful maternity care, calling attention to the need to support dignity, autonomy, and companionship in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care. The brief highlights five anti-discriminatory action steps highlighted in the White House blueprint for addressing the maternal crisis and links to a wide variety of programs and resources aimed at improving maternal health outcomes. Statistical data related to maternal maltreatment and a description of factors affecting progress are included

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Keywords: , Barriers, Federal programs, Health care disparities, Health equity, Initiatives, Maternal health, Models, Perinatal care, Quality improvement, Racial discrimination

Annotation: This annual report applies a model of health to rank states across multiple measures related to the health and well-being of women of reproductive age, infants, and children. The 2023 report highlights several trends in mortality among women of reproductive age and children, including rising rates of maternal mortality, drug deaths among women and injury deaths among women and children. The 2023 report also highlights several changes that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a a drop in the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in early childhood education and decrease in the prevalence of electronic vapor product use among high- school students.

• 2023 Full Report
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Keywords: Access to health care, Child health, Environmental influences, Health behavior, Health care disparities, Health disparities, Health status, Infant health, Measures, Public policy, Racial factors, Trends, Women's health

Annotation: This resource provides a summary of the literature on housing instability as a social determinant of health. It provides background information on the federal Healthy People 2030 framework and describes how housing instability as a social determinant is organized according to the following five domains: Economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context. Data methods and sources, related objectives, links to evidence-based resources, and tools for action are also provided.

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Keywords: Federal Initiatives , Health disparities, Housing, Literature reviews, Measures, Socioeconomic factors, Statistical data

Annotation: This online series breaks down the social determinants of health across three stages of development: the perinatal period, infancy and toddlerhood, and the preschool years. Included are the following reports: 1) Strengthening early childhood health, housing, education, and economic well-being through holistic public policy; 2) Disparities in housing, health care, child care, and economic security affect babies for life; and 3) A strong start in life: How public health policies affect the well-being of pregnancies and families. The series also includes on article on policymaking that considers the importance of education, healthcare, and economic security in shaping early childhood development.

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Keywords: Early childhood development, Health equity, Health status disparities, Policy

Annotation: This report offers guiding principles that can help Head Start staff promote health literacy in their programs. The report focuses on seven core concepts: capacity, content, equity, dissemination, feedback, practice, and evaluation. Programs can use the principles to increase their capacity to implement health-literate practices and evaluate the principles’ effectiveness.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Communication skills, Health care disparities, Health equity, Health literacy, Intervention

Annotation: This issue brief highlights the increased risk of maternal morbidity and mortality among Black women; explores the drivers that contribute to the Black maternal health crisis, and recommends strategies to transform the delivery of Black maternal health care to improve health outcomes. Providing culturally-centered care by diverse health teams; destigmatizing and treating Black maternal mental health; protect and expand access to reproductive health care; eliminating economic inequities; and collecting and using intersectional data are among the approaches highlighted. The brief also discusses the importance of community, describing how shared resistance, resilience, and joy help define Black maternal health.

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Keywords: Blacks, Health care disparities, Health equity, Maternal health, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Prevention

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: This issue brief highlights Action 2.6 from the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, focusing on training healthcare providers on implicit biases, culturally and linguistically appropriate care, and behavioral health needs of pregnant and postpartum women. The document examines how racism, bias, and structural inequities contribute to maternal health disparities, particularly for people of color, and presents evidence about the effectiveness of different approaches to addressing implicit bias and providing respectful maternity care. It outlines specific state-level innovations and evidence-based strategies being implemented across the United States, including mandated training programs, cultural competency initiatives, and tools for measuring and evaluating bias reduction efforts. The brief includes data on racial disparities in maternal health outcomes and provider-patient racial concordance, while providing recommendations for developing more equitable and culturally responsive care systems.

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Keywords: Cultural competency, Health care disparities, Implicit bias, Maternal health, Perinatal care, Racial factors, State initiatives, health equity

Annotation: This issue brief highlights Action 2.2 from the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, which focuses on strengthening community participation in Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs), particularly among communities of color. The document examines the critical role of MMRCs in reviewing pregnancy-related deaths and making recommendations to prevent future deaths, with special attention to the importance of including diverse community voices and lived experiences in these reviews. It provides detailed information about current MMRC implementation across states, highlights key challenges like limited rural representation and transparency issues, and outlines specific innovations being implemented by states like Arizona and Maryland to increase meaningful community engagement. The brief includes recommendations from the Black Mamas Matter Alliance for enhancing equity and community participation in MMRC processes.

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Keywords: Blacks, Community participation, Health care disparities, Health equity, Maternal health, Maternal mortality, Minority groups, Outreach, Prevention, State initiatives

Annotation: This issue brief highlights Action 1.14 from the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, focused on expanding capacity to screen, assess, treat, and refer for maternal depression and related behavioral disorders. The document examines evidence-supported interventions for addressing perinatal depression, including universal screening protocols, psychiatric consultation services, and care coordination support. It presents current data on the prevalence and disparities in maternal mental health screening and treatment across different populations and geographic areas, with particular attention to racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors. The brief outlines specific state-level innovations being implemented to improve maternal mental health care, such as Illinois's DocAssist program and Montana's PRISM consultation line, and provides evidence-based measures for tracking progress in expanding behavioral health support services.

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Keywords: Assessment, Coordination, Depression, Health care disparities, Maternal health, Mental health, Model programs, Postpartum depression, Referrals, Screening, State initiatives

Annotation: This issue brief highlights Action 1.15 from the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, focusing on integrating behavioral health supports in community settings through community health workers (CHWs) and patient navigators. The document examines the essential role of CHWs in addressing healthcare disparities and improving maternal health outcomes, presenting evidence of their effectiveness in increasing access to care and supporting positive health behaviors. It provides detailed information about the current state of the CHW workforce, including demographic data, state-level Medicaid coverage policies, and key barriers such as lack of standardized training and sustainable funding. The brief outlines specific innovations being implemented across states and offers evidence-based strategies for developing and supporting CHW programs, with particular attention to examples from state maternal health initiatives in North Carolina and Maryland.

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Keywords: Behavioral disciplines and activities, Community health workers, Community-based services, Health care disparities, Maternal health, Maternal morbidity, Service integration, State initiatives

Annotation: In this podcast episode, host Christie Allen and Dr. Gillispie-Bell talk about the critical role that measurement and disaggregated data play in understanding and addressing disparities in maternal care. They discuss the challenges and importance of collecting accurate race and ethnicity data, revealing how it unveils stark disparities in outcomes and care, and explore the systemic biases ingrained in the medical field, such as the historical portrayal of race as a biological risk factor. They discuss how these biases impact care delivery, perpetuating unfounded myths about pain tolerance, skin thickness, and more. 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: Data, Data collection, Health care disparities, Health equity, Implicit bias, Maternal health, Racial factors, Racism, ethnic factors

Annotation: In this podcast episode, host Christie Allen and Dr. Gillispie-Bell discuss the integration of equity and quality when addressing severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality rates in the United States with a data-driven approach. Learn how the healthcare landscape has transformed to encompass not just clinical excellence, but also inclusive care that honors each individual's unique experiences and values. Discover the journey from recognizing racial and ethnic disparities to crafting a comprehensive approach that combines respectful, equitable, and supportive care. 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: Cultural sensitivity, Data, Health care disparities, Health equity, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Quality improvement, statistics

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 article discusses the postpartum period as an opportunity for preventing maternal harm and death while improving health equity. It presents findings from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 90-day Innovation cycle identifying hospital interventions to improve postpartum care, particularly for Black women who experience 3.5 times higher maternal mortality rates than white women. The article outlines four key intervention areas: reducing variability in discharge education, offering implicit bias training, forming strategic partnerships, and promoting continuity of care across departments. The process map diagram visually represents the Innovation Team's research findings, highlighting current challenges and opportunities for improvement in postpartum care pathways. The article describes issues in discharge processes, post-birth warning signs, follow-up care models, and patient-centered design. It concludes with information about a Learning Community initiative with five birthing hospitals that began in January 2023, funded by Merck for Mothers.

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Keywords: Quality improvement, Blacks, Health care disparities, Maternal health, Maternal mortality, Models, Postpartum care, Prevention, Statistics

Annotation: This report examines the performance of Medicaid managed care organizations in addressing the maternal mortality crisis and racial health disparities among pregnant and postpartum women with low incomes. It presents findings from a scan of 12 states conducted in 2023 that analyzed the transparency of publicly available performance metrics and reports from state maternal mortality review committees. The document identifies significant gaps in public data regarding individual organization accountability and the lack of coordination between state health agencies. Substantial recommendations are provided for federal and state policymakers to improve transparency through the use of data dashboards, beneficiary-facing scorecards, and standardized performance improvement projects.

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Keywords: Data, Managed care, Maternal health, Maternal mortality, Medicaid, Racial factors, State health agencies, Statistical analysis, health care disparities