Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded more than $65 million to 35 HRSA-funded health centers to address the maternal mortality crisis. Our country’s maternal mortality rate is the highest of any developed nation in the world and more than double the rate of peer countries. HRSA’s funds will be used to implement innovative approaches to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities for patients at highest risk. Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than White women.
The recent funding supports maternal health care through health centers is part of HRSA’s comprehensive work to support maternal health and reduce disparities in maternal and birth outcomes, which includes support not only to health centers but also to other HRSA-supported programs carried out by states, community-based organizations, and training programs, such as:
- HRSA-supported Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Patient Safety Bundles that are setting the standard for improving maternal care processes and patient outcomes in hospitals and other delivery settings across the country;
- HRSA’s Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program that is building networks in rural communities to strengthen pre-natal, delivery and post-pregnancy support services;
- HRSA-funded State Maternal Health Innovation Programs that are directly supporting states to address the disparities in maternal health outcomes by building state coalitions of diverse stakeholders to inform state action, improving the collection and use of maternal health data, and launching new service delivery activities such as the use of mobile vans in remote regions and creating a course for how to treat mothers with substance use disorder respectfully and effectively;
- HRSA’s Maternal Health Workforce Programs that are training new certified nurse midwives, training more community-based doulas, providing loan repayment incentives for nurses to practice in high-need communities, and building and deploying metrics identifying the areas with the greatest maternal health workforce needs;
- HRSA’s Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-TLC-MAMA that offers direct, confidential emotional and mental health support to pregnant women and new parents 24/7 in English and Spanish provided by trained counselors; and
- HRSA’s Screening and Treatment for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Program that is providing training for OB/GYNs, Certified Nurse Midwives and other maternal care providers to support the mental health needs of their patients and providing tele-consultation options to get real-time support from mental health experts in managing their cases.
To read the full press release, click here.
