Community-based models to improve maternal health outcomes and promote health equity

Issue: In the United States, high spending on maternity care does not translate to better maternal health outcomes. People of color, particularly Black and Indigenous women, are at heightened risk for negative outcomes.
Goal: To examine models for delivering maternity care that could improve outcomes and reduce racial inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality.
Methods: Review of research literature on the maternal health outcomes associated with community-based, perinatal care models.
Findings and Conclusions: Research shows a wide range of community-based approaches could improve maternal health outcomes and patients’ experiences while also potentially reducing costs. Such approaches could especially benefit those most at risk for poor outcomes, particularly people of color and those with low income. One policy option is expanding reimbursement for providers like doulas and midwives, whose care has been associated with improved maternal and infant health outcomes in some research. Other options include enhancing patient access to a broader range of services and incentivizing health systems and providers to adopt evidence-based, equity-centered models of care. (author abstract) #P4HEwebinarOctober2024