The Maternal Health Big Picture | |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported concerning data regarding maternal health outcomes in our country: maternal deaths spiked in 2021, almost a 40% increase since 2019. Seeing such a staggering increase can be alarming and make maternal health stakeholders take pause, examine the data and factors and ask, "What needs to change?"
The fact is, so many are working tirelessly to change these horrific experiences: educating the community, hosting workshops and webinars to increase support and knowledge, applying learned skills in avoiding implicit and explicit bias, and working to the point of exhaustion and burnout.
While the new data is heartbreaking, it reaffirms that maternal health's overarching need has not changed: women and birthing people are still dying from preventable maternal health-related causes and People of Color continue to be more adversely affected than their white counterparts.
April gives us Minority Health Month, National Public Health Week, April 3-9, and Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) which was pioneered by Black Mamas Matter Alliance, April 11-17.
Everyday is an opportunity to reexamine the maternal health big picture and remember the importance of this work. Keep fighting for change! This BMHW consider attending a local or virtual event and follow #BMHW23.
| |
National Maternal Health Innovation Symposium
Aug. 2-3 in Minneapolis, MN & Aug. 9-10 Virtually
Call for Proposals Closes April 21
| |
Call for Proposals Open, Presenter Scholarships Available | | |
|
|
To increase the representation of historically excluded populations and elevate the needs of those most impacted by maternal health disparities, MHLIC is offering limited travel scholarships to presenters addressing topics related to the needs of Black, Indigenous, and rural birthing people.
If you are interested in being considered for scholarship support, please let us know by indicating this in your proposal.
| |
Help us share our call for proposals with your networks! Click the button to access graphics and language. Thank you! | | |
Partner Event
Black Maternal Heath Conference - Tufts University
Hybrid Event - April 7, 2023
| |
|
The Center for Black Maternal Health & Reproductive Justice is excited to host its 6th
annual Black Maternal Health Conference! Join them Friday, April 7 for a full day of learning.
This year's theme is “Centering the Role of Nurses and Midwives in Addressing the Black Maternal Health Crisis." Designed to build connections with a variety of stakeholders who all have a vested interest in Black maternal health, this hybrid event provides attendees the opportunity to attend in person in Boston, MA or join virtually.
Visit their website and connect with them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For more information, email organizers at: bmm@tufts.edu.
| |
Partner Event
AIM Obstetric Emergency Collaborative of Learning
April 13, 2023
| |
AIM is hosting the Obstetric Emergency Readiness COL, which is a collaborative learning series designed to support non-obstetric, lower resourced, and rural facilities. It is designed to share best practices and resources to prepare for recognition and response to obstetric emergencies in non-obstetrical care settings, and in facilities with limited access to specialty care providers.
All interested emergency room healthcare professionals, quality improvement coordinators, facility-based teams, and hospital leadership from all states, jurisdictions, Indian Health Service (IHS), and tribal maternal health teams are welcome.
| |
Partner Event
AMCHP Conference 2023
May 6-9, 2023
| |
The 2023 AMCHP Annual Conference will be held from May 6 – 9, 2023, at the New Orleans Marriot in New Orleans, LA, and virtually through our virtual conference platform with the theme Cultivating Diverse Leaders in Maternal and Child Health. We look forward to having participants discuss strategies to grow leaders in maternal and child health (MCH) who reflect the diversity of experiences, cultures, and abilities of the people we serve. Our goal is to nurture innovative, creative, and resilient leaders who use their talents to support healthy communities.
Get ready to join MCH leaders and thinkers at AMCHP 2023!
| |
|
NIH Innovative Approaches to Improve Maternal Health Workshop
Hybrid Event - May 8-9, 2023
| |
On May 8-9, 2023, NIH is bringing together technology developers, medical device experts, small business innovators, implementation scientists, maternal mortality and morbidity (MMM) researchers, and academic, industry, and community-based partners to connect the research community with small businesses that are developing new approaches to improve MMM and its associated health disparities.
This event is hosted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and sponsored by NIH’s Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative along with six other NIH institutes and offices.
The event is free and open to the public. View the registration website for details on posters, pitch talks, and the agenda.
| |
Resources & Opportunities | |
|
Resources
Systems Integration Tool
| Technical workforce skills and evidence-based strategies are not necessarily sufficient to move the needle on maternal health outcomes; contextual factors such as challenging political environments, lack of leadership support, funding insufficiency, staff turnover, and historically inequitable programs and outcomes also influence the ability of MHIs and RMOMs to make an impact. These systems thinking and mapping tools provide opportunities to see your work in the context of the ‘big picture’ and strengthen collaboration within agencies and across sectors. Download the tool. | |
Campaign: We are the Faces of Black Maternal Health
Leading Black Cardiologists and medical professionals share their professional and personal experience with Black Maternal mortality and morbidity – the health of women during preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum – as well as the impact it has on families. Learn more about the campaign.
| |
|
Birthing Liberation by Sabia Wade
Presented as a "pathway to equity through reproductive justice," Birthing Liberation by Sabia Wade, a Radical Full Spectrum Doula and Somatic Experiencing Educator, shares the possibility of societal expansion by increasing accessibility and centering BIPOC women and birthing people. It details the trauma that must be identified and healed at every level within the medical and birthing system to ensure safe and empowered births for all. Learn more.
| |
Funding Opportunities
HRSA Grants Available
HRSA recently announced several new grant funding opportunities related to maternal health. Any domestic public or private entity is eligible to apply to these opportunities, as well as domestic faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations.
Grants that have been announced include:
- Screening and Treatment for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, details here.
- Maternal Health and Child Services, details here.
- Integrated Maternal Health Services, details here.
- Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Technical Assistance Center, details here.
You can find an extensive list and summary details for other opportunities on HRSA's Open Funding Opportunities webpage for each notice.
| |
Yield Giving Open Call for Community-Focused Organizations
A $250 million Yield Giving Open Call will award $1 million to 250 community-focused organizations with the greatest need and fewest resources. Launched on March 21, 2023, the $250 million Yield Giving Open Call is an initiative focused on elevating organizations working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States: communities, individuals, and families with access to the fewest foundational resources and opportunities. The registration period is now open. Operating budgets for organizations should between $1 million and $5 million. Applicants must register by May 5th. Learn more.
| |
|
Engage with us on Social Media
As always, get social with us! Please join us online and share your maternal health innovations.
Tag us using #AIMforInnovations to be included in maternal health innovation round ups.
| |
Share the MHLIC National Newsletter | |
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Subscribe for direct-to-inbox access! | |
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U7CMC33636-01 for the National Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center Cooperative Agreement. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. | |
Copyright © Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center, All rights reserved. | | | | |
