Pennsylvania Maternal Health Collaborative

Please join this new collaborative, organized to share strategies and move towards action to improve maternal health outcomes for communities of color, with a focus on health disparities rooted in social determinants of health (SDOHs) and systemic racism in medicine.

Brief Background

Maternal mortality (the deaths of individuals born female during or after pregnancy) is devastating because 80% are preventable. While the rates of maternal mortality for all racial and ethnic groups in the US has decreased since 2020, disparities persist for Black women. In 2022, there were 49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births for Black women, compared with 19 deaths per 100,000 for White women, 16.9 per 100,000 for Hispanic women and 13.2 per 100,000 for Asian women. In Pennsylvania the rate for Black women rises to 163 per 100,000 live births.

Attendees at the April 2024 Healthy Equity Summit sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Office of Health Equity (PDOH/OHE) discussed challenges and expressed interest in staying connected for continued learning and collaboration.That meeting inspired us to create this group. Since April, a small team has been convening informally to plan this work, including the Family Medicine Education Consortium (FMEC), PDOH/OHE, Latino Connection, the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women, the Governor's Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, Penn State Health Health Equity Program and the National Hispanic Medical Association Pennsylvania Chapter.

September 2024 Kick-off Meeting

On September 18, 2024, nearly 40 healthcare providers, government agency staff, social service providers, advocates and others joined to launch the Collaborative. The effort was introduced as a way to bring people together, share effective strategies, and focus on solutions. Two examples of maternal health success in action were briefly shared, and attendees brainstormed answers to the following questions: What is happening now that we can build on? What is one goal we can accomplish by the end of 2025? What is systemic and too large to address immediately but should be our ultimate goal? What are some resources that are created but underutilized? What needs to be created?

Please view the following materials for more information on the September 18 meeting:
Agenda
Meeting Recording

Presentations and Slides

• Introductory Slides – Sarah Inés Ramírez, MD
• IMPLICIT Network (Interventions to Minimize Preterm and Low Birth Weight Infants using Continuous Quality Improvement Techniques) - Mario DeMarco, MD, Project Director, IMPLICIT, Associate Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Community Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania – Mario Demarco, MD Slides
• Philly Joy Bank - Nia Coaxum, MPH, Steering Committee Co-Chair – Nia Coaxum, MPH Slides

Breakout Group Notes

To join and for more information
To sign up to join the Collaborative and receive more information, complete this short survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PAMaternalHealth

For questions
Contact Dr. Ramírez or Mr. Allen below.

Sarah Inés Ramírez, MD, FAAFP, Penn State Health Hershey Med Center, FMEC Board Member, [email protected]
Scott G. Allen, MS, CEO, Family Medicine Education Consortium, [email protected]