UnitedHealthcare to Address Maternal Health Outcomes, Access to Care and Health Equity With Doula Program Expansion Into Western North Carolina
2022年4月11日 - 10:00PM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
$25,000 from UnitedHealthcare will support
the implementation of a community-based doula program
UnitedHealthcare, Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC)
and SistasCaring4Sistas (SC4S) announced the expansion of a
community-based doula program into western North Carolina. The
Doulas for Social Justice program, which was started by
SistasCaring4Sistas to support primarily Black and low-income women
through pregnancy, birth and postpartum, will aim to improve
maternal health outcomes among Black women and reduce racial and
social disparities among mothers in the region by providing access
to quality health care.
With $25,000 in support from UnitedHealthcare, the collaboration
with MAHEC and SC4S will expand the Doulas for Social Justice
program to provide prenatal services and resources to rural western
North Carolina residents. The announcement coincides with national
Black Maternal Health Week beginning April 11, a week of awareness,
activism and community building to lift the voices and improve the
birthing experience for Black people.
According to the America's Health Rankings 2021 Health of Women
and Children Report, compiled by the United Health Foundation,
North Carolina ranks 35th for low birthweight racial disparity and
Black women have at least twice the rate of severe maternal
morbidity compared to white women.
“Access to quality maternal health care will help close the gap
on health inequity in our state," said Anita Bachmann, CEO,
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina. "We are honored
to partner with Mountain Area Health Education Center and
SistasCaring4Sistas of North Carolina to address disparities and
outcomes with the expanded doula program."
A doula typically provides physical and emotional support during
pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period, including guidance
to help women and families make informed decisions on maternal
self-care, lactation and healthy parenting. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three
times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white
women.1
“Partnering with UnitedHealthcare to support families most
likely to face pregnancy-related complications, even death, is such
an amazing opportunity," said Cindy McMillan, director,
SistasCaring4Sistas. "United together, we value equitable, safe and
positive birth outcomes and are utilizing needed community-based
support to address community health care needs within maternal
health systems in North Carolina."
According to March of Dimes, North Carolina ranks higher in the
preterm birth rate compared to the national average, and the
preterm birth rate among Black women is 46% higher than for all
other women.2 North Carolina also faces access to care challenges,
especially in rural western North Carolina, ranking 39th
nationally.3 MAHEC provides and supports educational activities and
services with a focus on primary care in rural communities.
“Poor maternal health outcomes remain high among women in North
Carolina, and together we are addressing maternal and prenatal
health inequity in communities in need," said Amanda Murphy,
certified nurse midwife and medical director, Mothering Asheville.
"We applaud UnitedHealthcare for recognizing the importance of
maternal and child health in improving care for all pregnancies
across the state."
The program is one of several that UnitedHealthcare, along with
its parent company UnitedHealth Group, is launching to address
maternal health outcomes throughout the United States. Recent
initiatives include nearly $14 million in philanthropic grants to
support maternal health, and $2.85 million in support to March of
Dimes for a public-private partnership with the Department of
Health and Human Services that aims to reduce the Black-white
disparity gap and improve maternal health outcomes. In 2021,
UnitedHealthcare provided Unified Women's Health Care of North
Carolina support to launch a prenatal care model initiative,
CenteringPregnancy, in four North Carolina locations to improve
outcomes and reduce racial and social disparities among mothers in
North Carolina by providing access to quality maternal care.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier
lives and making the health system work better for everyone by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full
spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and
Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with
more than 1.5 million physicians and care professionals, and 7,000
hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also
provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned
and operated health care facilities in South America.
UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group
(NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more
information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC
on Twitter.
About MAHEC
Mountain Area Health and Education Center provides and supports
educational activities and services with a focus on primary care in
rural communities with less access to resources to recruit, train
and retain the workforce needed to create a healthy Western North
Carolina. MAHEC has a 40 plus year history of innovation in health
education and clinical care in Buncombe County and its surrounding
communities. Serving as the obstetrical safety net provider in
Western North Carolina (WNC) MAHEC cares for women and children
from all 16 counties in the WNC region. Over the past six years,
Mothering Asheville (with MAHEC as the lead clinical organization)
has achieved successes in community capacity building, clinical
shift, and policy/environmental change.
About
SistasCaring4Sistas
SistasCaring4Sistas was created in 2016 after working to build
trust and relationships among community residents of a public
housing neighborhood, Pisgah View Apartments, and representatives
from several local nonprofits. After learning that Black babies die
at three times the rate of white babies in Buncombe County, the
Black women in our community identified that birth doulas were a
great way to improve health outcomes. SistasCaring4Sistas
represents a group of Black community-based doulas supporting
primarily Black and low-income women through pregnancy, birth and
postpartum. This community-based doula program was founded by women
of color for women of color who could benefit from evidence-based
doula birth support and other wraparound resources.
1
https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/features/maternal-mortality/index.html
2
https://www.marchofdimes.org/materials/MOD2020_REPORT_CARD_and_POLICY_ACTIONS_BOOKLET.pdf
3
https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/access/state/NC
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Isaac Sorensen 952-931-5705 Isaac.Sorensen@uhc.com
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