MHLIC ContentMaternal Telehealth Access Project was funded in May 2020 for one year by the CARES Act to increase access to quality maternity care and services via telehealth during (and beyond) the COVID-19 pandemic. The project focused specifically on serving women at greatest risk of maternal mortality and morbidity, including women of color, Black women, Native American women, Latinx women, and women who live in rural and frontier communities.
Maternal mortality impacts women of color at higher rates and the COVID-19 pandemic is making the situation worse. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention illustrate COVID-19 mortality rates are substantially higher among Black and Latinx women. As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country, pregnant women of color have expressed concern about how they can safely obtain prenatal care, deliver their babies, feed their babies and receive needed postpartum support services, including mental health care. Maternal Telehealth Access Project sought to address maternal health inequities and support providers and families to access telehealth and distant care services.
ABOUT: Maternal Telehealth Access Project is supported by a one-time award through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The Maternal Telehealth Access Project is led by a team of organizations working together to respond as quickly as we can to the urgent need for telehealth services. Information about specific team members is available here. To connect with the project, contact Dorothy Cilenti, Principal Investigator, at cilenti@email.unc.edu.