Community Partnerships Are Critical to Improving Maternal, Infant Health

Adequate access to resources such as child care, nutritious foods, and housing can help people of reproductive age and their families lead healthy lives. However, these resources are not sufficiently available across all geographic areas and communities in the United States.

People in these underserved communities—who have historically been disproportionately affected by rigid policies, minimal support services, and limited provider hours and locations—are at greater risk of negative maternal and infant health outcomes, such as birth and postpartum complications. Those living in rural areas, people of color, and individuals experiencing language and cultural barriers are particularly at risk, and COVID-19 has further exacerbated these disparities.

To improve maternal and infant health, organizations and agencies can design systems of care that are responsive to client and community needs. Using a multidisciplinary approach, these parties can work to better coordinate and integrate service design and delivery while creating structures that engage community voices.

Health Impact Project-supported teams in Virginia and Washington state are taking this approach as part of the Calling All Sectors Initiative—a collaboration of cross-sector “core teams” in nine states and Washington, D.C., working to address maternal and child health issues. At the center of their efforts, these teams are helping to connect state agencies, community-based organizations, and health providers to the groups they serve. Research has shown that community involvement helps institutionalize best practices in health programs and services. And policies and programs are most effective when informed by the people they affect and when equity strategies are built in to tackle drivers of health disparities.

In Virginia, the core team is working to address root causes of racial disparities in severe maternal and infant morbidity and mortality with attention to racial equity and community voice. Inequities across maternal and child health are persistent in certain areas across the state, particularly among low-income and minority groups. A recent needs assessment identified health inequities, health care infrastructure, and coordination as priority needs among Virginia’s maternal and child health programs and providers.

To address these inequities, the team is strengthening partnerships between hospitals and community-based organizations by collaborating with the Virginia Department of Health, which works with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association Foundation (VHHAF), the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative, and other partners. Together, these groups support VHHAF’s Maternal Health Collaborative (MHC), which aims to ensure that maternal populations have access to community resources such as stable housing, income, food, and a continuum of health care.

The VHHAF MHC fosters partnerships between hospitals and community-based organizations, ensuring that individuals are supported prenatally, throughout pregnancy, and in their first year postpartum. This includes providing hospitals with technical assistance as they conduct data analysis, assessing their adherence to culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) standards (15 action steps to advance equity in health and health care organizations ), and delivering racial equity training. The collaborative also works with community organizations to develop work plans that address factors outside the hospital that are contributing to inequities in birth outcomes. These work plans include efforts to assess social needs, provide care coordination, and help connect patients with resources and organizations that have trusted relationships with community members.

The Washington state core team seeks to improve outcomes for birthing people and their infants by identifying and aligning policies and enrollment opportunities in family support programs across state agencies, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Data from the state’s Infant Mortality Reduction report showed the infant mortality rate for African American babies is twice that of White babies—a racial disparity that has persisted over the last decade. The report’s recommendations included strengthening care coordination by aligning health programs that contribute to protective factors and improving support for infants and families at highest risk of poor birth outcomes.

The WIC program has low African American enrollment rates in some counties despite high rates of eligibility. To improve access to WIC services for eligible families, the core team is exploring ways to include community voices, such as reviewing existing community assessment data to better understand what participants identify as strengths, needs, and priorities. The team is also establishing a participant advisory committee to understand the role that internal and external policies play in access to services, including eligibility criteria and geographic areas of focus.

Byrd Barr Place—a nonprofit organization that provides direct services and creates sustainable, equitable improvements for the African American and Black communities—is the Washington state team’s community partner. Together, they are working with families to develop best practices for engaging communities in trusted partnerships to inform and guide the WIC program’s work.

Increasing healthy birth outcomes by improving systems of care is a complex process. It requires that state agencies, local groups, and their partners center community voices to build cross-sector relationships, trust, and understanding. The Washington state and Virginia teams are coordinating such partnerships and initiatives to leverage state and local data sources, identify gaps in services, and improve alignment and integration of partners and programs—efforts that can help parents and infants live their healthiest lives.

Maura Dwyer is a senior manager and Kerk Allen is a principal associate with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Health Impact Project.

Why HBCU Medical School decided to put the money from the CARES Act in the pockets of students

Just before the students of Mehari Medical School go home for Thanksgiving, Ph.D. James HildresThe school principal sent them a video message via email, which he admitted seemed unbelievable. Or at least they have to listen to it again.

“We will give you $10,000 in cash each,” he said. Looking at camera“You heard me right.”

They were told to deposit directly or pick up the check in person the next day. Hildres, an infectious disease expert who helped lead the Nashville pandemic response, explained that this unconditional gift is money from the CARES Act. A major COVID-19 relief law passed by Congress in 2020. He only asked them to become “good stewards” of windfalls.

After careful consideration, the Mehari government decided to provide approximately one-third of its CARES bill funding-10 million U.S. dollars-directly to future doctors, dentists, and public health researchers. A total of 956 students received payment.

Mehari’s students have actively participated in the pandemic response, manning Nashville’s large-scale COVID testing and vaccination sites. But the money is not an accidental compensation for volunteer work, but an investment in future careers—and it helps overcome the financial barriers that black students particularly face when they become medical professionals.

Although black Americans make up about 13% of the population, the Association of American Medical Colleges found that black doctors accounted for Only 5% The country’s active doctors-an ever-increasing number slowly For more than a century.and learn It was found that black patients often want to be cared for by people who they believe are culturally capable of recognizing their traditions, beliefs, and values ??during treatment.

Mehari Graduates more black doctors Almost better than any other American school.and Half of MD Enter a high-demand but low-income primary health care profession.

“We believe that there is no better way to start distributing these funds than to donate to our students, who will soon make so much contribution to our world,” Hildres said.

When students clicked on the video link, cheers broke out in the library.

Andreas Nelson was silent, he later recalled. He went to his bank app and stared at him in disbelief. “US$10,000 is in my bank account. This is amazing,” he said. “I really can’t speak.”

The Chicago native is completing a master’s degree in health and science in Meharry, hoping to enter its dental school.Average student loan debt in the programOver 280,000 USD in totalTherefore, there is no doubt that 10 Grand will not have much impact on debt.

But the money in his pocket alleviates his biggest worry about paying rent each month. Nelson said that it feels like he is being treated as an adult, which allows him to decide what his biggest needs are in school.

“This is motivation,” Nelson said. “Because it means that for whatever reason, they believe that we will use the money-whether it is student debt, investment or personal enjoyment.”

In general, HBCU students are more dependent on student loans than students in white institutions historically. About 80% of people apply for student loans, According to the analysis of the United Nations Climate Change Fund, Formerly known as the United Black University Fund, they borrowed much more money.

Meharry was founded ten years after the Civil War to help those who were enslaved. However, this 145-year-old institution has been struggling financially, and so have its students.

The reason is rooted in the country’s racist past, which has left the institution Compared with other universities, there are fewer funds available for scholarshipsAnd the wealth of student families is usually less, because the average net worth of black families in the country is about 17,000 US dollars-about One-tenth of the average level of white households.

Meharry’s average student debt is much higher than Vanderbilt University and other regional medical schools at the University of Tennessee, representing private and public institutions.

Almost all colleges and universities receive funding under the CARES Act, but HBCU is more active in providing large amounts of funds directly to students because they tend to have greater needs.more than 20 HBCU The outstanding tuition balance has been cleared. Some have cancelled student fees.

But Mehari is one of the few independent HBCU graduate schools, and it is rare to cut student checks.

“These young people went to medical school desperately,” said Rodriguez Murray, Leading public policy and government affairs at UNCF. “Of course, they have to borrow more money because people who look like them borrow less.”

During the pandemic, major philanthropists developed a new interest in supporting a few HBCU medical schools.Michael Bloomberg Commitment of 100 million U.S. dollars To four institutions, Mehari, To help educate more black doctors.

Meharry students can now apply for a scholarship of $100,000. The US$34 million from the Bloomberg Charitable Foundation is also used for other types of financial support.

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The school now provides expensive test preparation services for free through a company headquartered in Boston. Medical school coach. This service requires payment to the doctor by the hour to help with learning, and the cost can be as high as thousands of dollars.

Although the price is usually unaffordable for cash-strapped students, getting a board license through a benchmark exam is the key to a coveted scholarship, a lucrative professional qualification, or just completing it on time.And Mehari’s four-year completion rate About 70% Lower than most schools.The latest national average is About 82%.

Murray said that for some people, the $10,000 windfall could have a major impact on whether they cross the finish line and become a doctor who can afford all medical school debt.

“Many of these students borrowed a lot of money to fulfill their dreams and become relatively high-income people in the future,” Murray said. “In fact, these students are mainly from a lower socioeconomic background, which means that the funds Mehari turned to provide students are particularly influential.”

This story comes from a partnership, which includes Nashville Public Radio and KHN.

Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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Church shooting survivor gives scholarships to prison nurses

One of the survivors of a racist massacre at an African American church in South Carolina has started giving out scholarships from her foundation to students who want to provide health care to prisoners

Polly Daniels Sheppard set aside money from speaking engagements and other events to create the Polly Sheppard Foundation, The Post and Courier of Charleston reported.

Sheppard was one of five people inside Emanuel AME church to survive in June 2015 when a racist sat through Bible study, then shot and killed nine members of the church.

Sheppard called 911 as dozens of bullets were being fired and the shooter told her he would let her live so she could tell the world what happened. That call was played at the trial of a man who was sentenced to death for the killings.

“You actually meet some interesting people in jail,” Sheppard told the newspaper, “And over half of them are not actually criminals.”

Sheppard’s foundation is giving the nearly $6,000 scholarship through Trident Technical College. Nikki Walker received the first award in August and is scheduled to graduate in a few weeks. The 34-year-old mother is a former jail officer who hopes her new medical career will help her care for a daughter with health issues as well as inmates.

Walker plans to start her career as a nurse at the Medical University of South Carolina before moving on to a prison and then maybe becoming a sexual assault nursing examiner.

“Just because you are in jail doesn’t mean you don’t deserve adequate care,” Walker said. “No one is immune from making one bad choice.”

Exhibition at Partners Gallery features the art of letterpress bookmaking

MENDOCINO, CA — On January 6, 2022, Partners’ Gallery in Mendocino will open for a unique exhibition of the fine art of letterpress printing featuring three prominent women who specialize in different aspects of book art. Titled “Three Letterpress Printers Walk Into a Shed: The Renegade Letterpress Work of Felicia Rice, Theresa Whitehill, Zida Borcich,” the exhibit will be open through February 12. The first annual festival of Book Arts Mendocino is in conjunction with the art show! (BAM!) will begin on the same day and continue at many locations until the end of February.

Letterpress printing was once called “black art” in reference to the black ink of the trade. It is no longer the primary method of modern, efficient printing. Raised surface printing is intense and time-consuming, but the rewards can be spectacular. The craft of using hand-set or machine-set metal, wooden, or polymer typeset requires years of dedicated training and hard-to-find printing presses that often date from the early twentieth century. Lead-type foundries are extinct, and printers stay in business by relying on replacement pieces made of polymer.

Her father’s small backyard shed now houses Felicia Rice’s letterpress studio, which she hopes to convert into a full printing shop soon. (Chris Pugh — Mendocino Beacon)

Since few women were active in a trade that dates back to the mid-fourteenth century, the three guest artists have known one another since the earlier days of their careers. They also have shared connections. Whitehill once worked for Borcich in Fort Bragg for eight years. Rice and Borcich trained under the same master printer, Al Moise. Together, they bring a cumulative 120 years of experience to the exhibition. Borcich is a commercial letterpress printer focused on designing and publishing Real Estate Magazine and operated a shop on Main Street in Fort Bragg for 27 years. Whitehill is a poet who prints broadsides in her shop in Ukiah. Rice is a native of Mendocino and describes herself as an editor, publisher, writer, and artist. Her parents, Ray and Miriam Rice, founded the Mendocino Arts Center.

The germination of the gallery exhibit is due to extraordinary circumstances. Rice, who had established herself in Santa Cruz about 50 years ago, lost her life’s work, shop, printing press, and home in the 2020 Santa Cruz Complex Fire and returned to the small family home in Mendocino with literally nothing left. She works out of her father’s original studio workshed on the property, and she hopes to raise funds to convert it into a full printing shop. Borcich came to offer help and realized Rice’s struggle was ideal and published her story in her Real Estate Magazine. Artists from Partners Gallery, known for contemporary art displays, read the article in the magazine’s September 2021 issue and invited the three women to consider exhibiting their work at the Mendocino gallery.

“It’s very nice that they recognized that the three of us from completely different approaches to the craft are complementary and should be in an art context,” said Rice. Two artists from Partners Gallery, Pam Hahn, and Mina Cohen, are curating the show in collaboration with the artists. Rice said that having a show with Whitehill and Borcich is life-affirming. “Getting to work beside these two women is so heart-filling and soul-filling,” she said.

Along with the preparation of the exhibition came the idea to host a festival on book art. Eager participants from around the county promised their locations for various events celebrating book art — such as fine print text, design, binding, paper making, and content creation. The three artists believe this festival and the gallery show will expose the art of bookmaking to the greater community. “Most people don’t know about artists’ books, what goes into them, and how it all gets onto a page, ” said Borcich.

Conscious of the digital information age, the three printers believe that books still have much to offer to our culture and community. Rice commented, “Maybe we’re in a time when books have passed out of their functional daily use. Maybe we’re now seeing the book more as an art form.” The festival, she says, is a way of “looking at the book with new eyes.” Borcich also sees the gallery opening and festival as a way to draw in the Bay Area’s community of letterpress printers, writers, and art book admirers, referring to the “hidden trove of interest” outside the local community’s general knowledge.

The women are particularly enthusiastic about a gallery event that will feature the renowned icon of letterpress book design, Peter Koch, who holds the CODEX international biannual book fair in the Bay Area. They believe his visit will attract a large audience and fulfill their purpose of collaborating with art organizations to bring new art experiences to the community. The three printers see the events as “the beginning of something fresh of benefit to the community,” said Rice, who hopes to see the art of bookmaking take hold in the local schools.

Partners Gallery is located in the historic Mendocino Beacon Building at 45062 Ukiah Street in Mendocino and is open from Thursday through Monday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information, call 707-962-0233 or online at www.partnersgallery.com.

“Three Letterpress Printers Walk Into a Shed: The Renegade Letterpress Work of Felicia Rice, Theresa Whitehill, Zida Borcich” opens on Thursday, January 6, and ends on March 6, 2022. On Saturday, January 8, the gallery will host the first of two Meet the Artists events, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The BAM! festival will run throughout January and February at various locations around the county. For a complete listing of events, times, and places, please go online to www.tinyurl.com/BAM-2022.

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