CHC: Creating Healthier Communities
Black Birthing Initiative
The goal of this initiative is to reduce the effects of racism, stress, and unmet social determinants of health to improve Black maternal health outcomes.
Black women are 3 times as likely to die from pregnancy related causes as white women in the U.S. Further, Black women are about 50% more likely to deliver a premature baby than white women. High preterm birth rates for Black women and birthing people exist across socioeconomic levels. When infants are born preterm, before 37 weeks, they have higher rates of death and disability.
Through funding from Elevance Health Foundation (formerly Anthem Foundation), CHC launched the Black Birthing Initiative in January 2022 to address the maternal health crisis and reduce preterm births.
Major accomplishments so far include:
- Building a program infrastructure with program staff and expertise.
- Completing a literature review and additional background research.
- Establishing a collaborative partnership with community-based organizations (Atlanta, Cleveland, and Indianapolis), including recruiting partner organizations with 8 Black-led maternal health organizations.
- Completing a series of focus groups and listening sessions with doulas, birth advocates, and Black women and birthing people in each focus city, including 5 surveys and 4 listening sessions.
- Developing an implementation guide and screening tool to ensure success of the interventions to avert preterm births.
The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. This ratio is more than double that of most high-income countries. Among these deaths, approximately 4 in 5 were preventable.
Effects of racism, weathering, and social determinants of health on Black birthing
Racial disparities persist across education levels. Black women with a completed college education are 1.6 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes compared to white women with less than a high school diploma.
Research shows that disparities in maternal deaths and preterm births cannot simply be explained by education or socioeconomic levels. Stress of everyday discrimination on Black women and birthing people, such as being associated with negative stereotypes, and implicit bias, can harm relationships between Black women and care providers.
CHC is building the foundation for scalable programs in Atlanta, Cleveland, and Indianapolis to address preterm births. Some of our activities include:
- Partnering for healthy moms, babies, and communities in Atlanta.
- Presenting at 2022 Black Maternal Health Conference and Training Institute in Washington, DC, to share the initial findings from our Black Birthing Initiative.
- Meeting with partners in Indianapolis, hosting focus groups and listening sessions to hear from community, staff, and birth workers (doulas, advocates), including Black pregnant women and birthing people.
- Raising awareness for Black Breastfeeding week, an event highlighting the significant racial disparity in breastfeeding rates.
About CHC: Creating Healthier Communities
CHC: Creating Healthier Communities brings nonprofits, businesses, and communities together around a shared commitment to better health and wellbeing. For more than 65 years, CHC has worked with partners to address the barriers to good health and equity and create resilient communities where everyone can thrive.
About Elevance Health
The Elevance Health Foundation strives to improve the health of humanity by addressing health inequalities and strengthening our communities in America. The Foundation The Anthem Foundation awarded $7 million to CHC to address risk factors leading to higher rates of preterm births for expectant Black women in Indiana, Georgia and Ohio.