Last month the Commonwealth Fund highlighted the role of freestanding birth centers in Community-Led Approach to Transforming Maternity Care. Freestanding birth centers, which use a midwifery and wellness model, provide a choice for families to deliver outside of a hospital or their home. The U.S. hosts 415 freestanding birth centers in 40 states and Washington, […]
Black Maternal Mental Health Week, created by Shades of Blue Project founder Kay Matthews, is celebrated annually from July 19-25. Every year the Shades of Blue Project hosts their Black Maternal Mental Health Summit in Houston, TX during Black Maternal Mental Health Week. The theme of this year’s Black Maternal Mental Health is the Art […]
Last month, Stanford Center on Early Childhood released its four-year anniversary report on findings of its RAPID Survey Project. The report detailed the top concerns and stressors felt by parents and providers of young children across the country. The leading concerns? Child care, housing, and health care. The RAPID Survey Project began in response to […]
Over the past few years, states have increasingly sought to use Medicaid to cover services and supports that address unmet individual-level social conditions, known as health-related social needs (HRSN), that can adversely affect health outcomes. Pregnant and postpartum individuals and young children – populations that have significant need for consistent access to healthcare and are […]
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data indicating that national maternal mortality rates (MMR) fell significantly in 2022. Compared to 2021, the number of maternal deaths fell from 1,205 to 817 overall and the rate fell from 32.9 to 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births. These new data suggest […]
This week the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health released a national strategy to improve maternal health care and an accompanying report to Congress. The federal interagency task force was created under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 for purposes of identifying, evaluating, and making recommendations to coordinate and improve federal activities related to addressing maternal […]
