Safer Childbirth Cities- Austin
The Maternal Health Equity Collaborative is proud to announce that Austin is the newest recipient of the Merck for Mothers Safer Childbirth Cities Grant! The project, Closing the Gap for Black Mamas: Childcare For Health Equity is funded by Merck for Mothers & the Pritzker Children’s Initiative.
The Maternal Health Equity Collaborative centers Black Women and Women of Color-- both in leading the collaborative, and in the work we do in and with the community. The MHEC is made up of four doula organizations, Black Mamas ATX, Giving Austin Labor Support, Healing Hands Community Doula Project, and Mama Sana Vibrant Woman, and two parental support organizations, Hand to Hold and Partners in Parenting.
Over the next three years, the MHEC will add culturally-sensitive and comprehensive perinatal childcare services to compliment the wraparound community doula support of the collaborative organizations, and ensure that Black mothers and their families are able to access the holistic, whole-person care needed to alleviate maternal health complications and reduce inequities.
According to the Texas Department of State and Human Services, Black birthing people in Central Texas experience severe maternal morbidity— complications that result in near-miss mortality— at a rate at least 1.2x higher than other birthing people. From 2012 to 2015, Black birthing in Central Texas accounted for nearly 12 percent of all births yet died at a rate 1.5x higher than white people. Data from a 2020 study by the Texas Department of State Health Services reported that 89% of all pregnancy-related deaths in the state could have been prevented.
“Systemic racism has created various gaps in care that directly impact the health and mortality of the BIPOC community," said Kelenne Blake-Fallon, the Communications Director for the Maternal Health Equity Collaborative. "We have big goals for how we can further align our organizations to eliminate maternal mortality and morbidity in Central Texas.”
Systematic racism and oppression is the cornerstone upon which current inequities in the perinatal and postpartum healthcare system are built. Working with the strengths of the collaborative and the broader social services ecosystem, Safer Childbirth Cities funding allows us to address the root causes of these disparities. Directly tackling racial inequities in maternal health outcomes and increasing access to quality care for Black mothers and their families promises a healthier Central Texas as a whole.
Each organization in the collaborative will continue to provide their unique care to the community. For example, Black Mamas ATX will support Black mothers with Sister Circles and doula care. GALS will provide on-call and full spectrum doula support to low income and under-supported families. Healing Hands Community Doula Project will support Black and Afro-latina mothers, catering to those who are high risk. Mama Sana Vibrant Woman will provide education, doula, and wellness care to Black and Latinx families.
By providing comprehensive childcare to Black families, we will move the needle on maternal health outcomes, making Austin and Central Texas a safe and equitable place to live, birth, and raise babies!
We welcome you to celebrate this win for our community with us by sharing the news & supporting the Maternal Health Equity Collaborative!