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Join us as we speak with experts about ways we can better serve women and birthing people and advance maternal health equity. From what is going well to what needs to be done to improve our health outcomes, we will share innovative work, new strategies, and impactful stories from people who are changing birthing care for families in our country.
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Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Community Care Initiative (CCI) is encouraging communities to come together using their Maternal Monologues Toolkit, whereby birthing people and their support systems can share their experiences related to the maternal health journey, illuminate what the national maternal health crisis looks like in their own community, and strategize about what they can do to address it. In this episode, Race for Equity’s Deitre Epps is joined by Dr. Valerie Newsome Garcia to discuss how to use this toolkit and the importance of community storytelling in understanding and advocating for change in maternal health.
Learn about the Maternal Monologues
In 2017, Dr. Shalon Irving passed away after complications from giving birth to her daughter. A passionate trailblazer for community health, her legacy inspired the Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project, which works to address inequities and disparities for the Black women and women of color in maternal health. In this episode, learn more about Dr. Shalon’s legacy and how MAP is on a mission to create a world in which Black women are heard, respected and cared for in their birthing processes.
About Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project
Participate in MAP’s Giving Tuesday Campaign!
In this special episode, Maternal Health Innovation is teaming up with AMCHP’s MCH Bridges podcast to bring you this episode on maternal health policy successes, challenges and opportunities while discussing Colorado’s recent passing of the Birth Equity Bill Package. A series of three bills designed to increase access to decrease inequities in and overall improve obstetric care in the state, this comprehensive and community-led response to the maternal health crisis is the first ever state led policy platform for birth equity.
About AMCHP | Related: MCH Bridges, Ep. 10 | Listen/Subscribe to MCH Bridges
Language matters. Body language matters. Accessibility matters. Inclusivity and equity should be at the heart of all maternal healthcare touchpoints. In this episode, Fernanda Ochoa Toro, research coordinator at UNC Chapel Hill and a patient navigator for Spanish speaking patients at UNC Health sits down with Dr. Kristin Tully, research assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and part of the UNC Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health team to discuss Latina maternal health.
While several states are in the process of implementing Medicaid coverage for doula services, only six states are actively providing that coverage. In this episode, host Deitre Epps, founder and CEO of Race for Equity, is joined by Averjill Rookwood, founder of The Corporate Doula, and Amy Chen, senior attorney at the National Health Law Program, to discuss the importance of accessible doula coverage and the National Health Law Program’s Doula Medicaid Project.
About Race for Equity | About The Corporate Doula | About National Health Law Program
Indigenous communities have unique respect and traditions for bringing life into the world, but Indigenous women are three to four times more likely to die of complications related to pregnancy or childbirth than white women. A physician, traditional healer and member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Dr. Donald Warne is working to address those disparities through integration of Indigenous and traditional medicine practices, as well as encouraging more Indigenous people to become health care and public health providers. In this episode, hosted by Amy Stiffarm—a member of the Aaniiih White Clay Tribe of Fort Belknap—learn about how Indigenous communities access healthcare and how their maternal health needs are unique.
After a difficult pregnancy and postpartum journey of her own, Ana Rodney founded MOMCares, a postpartum doula program designed to help support Black mothers in the NICU that are under-supported and facing financial stress. Ana is also chair of Baltimore’s Maternal Mortality Review Board and a member of the Infant Mortality Review Board, and she’s noticed a difference between the two: one is composed of professionals, institutions and government organizations, and the other of doulas and individuals with lived experiences. In this episode, hosted by UNC School of Medicine’s Dr. Rachel Urrutia, hear why Ana thinks doctors and doulas coming together can lead to more positive health outcomes for birthing people and their babies.
Dr. Kira Schabram studies burnout as it relates to employees who view their work as a calling, as many healthcare workers do. So, how can you remind yourself that you’re in the right place when you feel drained? In this episode, learn the signs of burnout to look out for and how to bounce-back from feelings of tiredness and cynicism in your work.
About Dr. Kira Schabram
From the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Ellen Pliska and Britta Cedergren know that preventing maternal mortality and morbidity is crucial to promoting health across lifespan. Hosted by UNC Gillings School of Public Health’s Dr. Sarah Verbiest, this episode discusses the ways in which public health is succeeding, lacking and changing in its ways of supporting birthing people and their care providers.
In this episode, Erin McClain, assistant director at the UNC Collaborative of Infant and Maternal Health, is diving deep into the disparities Black birthing people face in care and education. Joined by Dr. Tanya Bass, an award-winning educator on sexual health and health inequities, the two discuss the challenges and—most importantly—what we can do as care providers and community leaders to improve access to treatment and education.
About Dr. Tanya Bass | About Erin McClain
Resources shared during this episode: NCSexCon.org
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Maternal Health Innovation Podcast is a product of the Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center and is produced by Earfluence. Music provided by Graham Makes. Reels in partnership with Passionista.
MHLIC collaborates with many organizations and people for content such as our podcast , videos, and webinar series. The statements , information, and opinions shared may not reflect MHLIC and MHLIC partners. Our team strives to hold ourselves and invited experts accountable, and will address violations to our values and overall mission. We strive to always adhere to WHO-Code and ADA compliance. Read our full disclaimer here.
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 State Maternal Health Innovation Support and Implementation Program 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.