Improving Maternal Health Through Collaborative Innovations
This May, Unite Us is recognizing maternal health by highlighting a collaborative approach to improving maternal and child health outcomes.
Improving maternal and child health outcomes is a top priority for decision-makers and community stakeholders across the country. However, we continue to have the highest maternal death rate of all developed countries, and we are the only industrialized nation with a rising rate. At Unite Us, we know we can do better. That’s why we are dedicated to advancing equity and improving maternal health outcomes for all pregnant people and new parents.
In a new report, we discuss maternal health challenges and priorities in the U.S. You will learn:
- Contributing factors to maternal health inequities
- Key policy priorities to improve maternal health
- Data solutions that take a human-centered approach to identifying needs and improving outcomes
The Role Community-Based Organizations Play in Improving Maternal Health Outcomes
Community-based organizations (CBOs) have long played a key role in addressing critical care gaps, advancing equity, and supporting the health of mothers and infants. Through their community-driven approaches and culturally competent models of care, CBOs are not only better equipped to address the unique challenges and unmet needs of mothers and infants across communities, but also provide access to wraparound services that go beyond traditional models of care. These services, which range anywhere from community-based doula programs to freestanding birth centers, demonstrate the importance of adopting a human-centered approach to identify needs and improve outcomes.
It is only by continuing to leverage evidence-based, novel interventions, that communities will be able to help meet mothers where they’re at, when they need help most.
Empowering Partners to Drive Change
At Unite Us, we work with community-based organizations, health systems, and government partners to ensure all women and infants, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes, have a chance at a safe and healthy life.
We believe innovative and collaborative strategies should focus on removing barriers to accessing care, emphasizing preventative approaches and integrated community programs. Our shared, community-wide platform makes it easier for health, human, and social service providers to:
- Connect underserved pregnant people and new parents to coordinated care and resources, so they can get the care they need when they need it.
- Leverage proactive interventions such as home-visitation programs, prenatal care providers, and breastfeeding support.
- Increase access to high-quality maternal care by partnering with credible provider networks and social service agencies; building strong partnerships and learning collaboratives with public and private stakeholders help advance equitable maternal health care in the U.S.
Partner Spotlight: A Model of Coordinated Care Powered by Unite Us
We’re proud to partner with organizations like First 1,000 Days Sarasota, which connects families with community resources such as financial assistance, healthcare, and food during pregnancy and in the first 1,000 days of life.
Care coordination: Sixty-five organizations and over 110 unique programs have joined Unite Florida in Sarasota County, connecting CBOs, pediatricians, obstetricians, and local government agencies to provide care coordination to low-income families and their children.
Parent participation: A parent advisory committee ensures parents’ voices are woven into every aspect of the initiative. The group meets every other month and offers guidance on their social media campaign, community murals, and initiative marketing strategies.
Targeted interventions: First 1,000 Days Sarasota formed a county-wide Plan of Safe Care task force. The Plan of Safe Care is a federal mandate to identify and support pregnant women with a history of substance use by providing ongoing care coordination for the families after birth until the child is five years old. Sarasota County is pioneering an innovative program by partnering with Unite Us to pilot their care coordination platform.
With critical policy tools, willing community partners, and the right SDoH solutions coming into place, we can turn this crisis around. No family should have to grieve during what should be one of the most celebratory times in life.
Access the report to learn more about this partnership and how our data-powered, social care solution can drive change and positively impact maternal and infant health outcomes.
Interested in taking a collaborative approach to improving maternal health outcomes in your community? Watch our webinar to hear from industry experts on how adopting a collaborative approach is key when bridging gaps and driving better outcomes for new and expecting parents.
About Unite Us
Unite Us is the nation’s leading software company bringing sectors together to improve the health and well-being of communities. We drive the collaboration to identify, deliver, and pay for services that impact whole-person health. Through Unite Us’ national network and software, community-based organizations, government agencies, and healthcare organizations are all connected to better collaborate to meet the needs of the individuals in their communities.
