A new initiative aims to transform maternal health in Alabama.
Led by Black women-led organizations, including Yellowhammer Fund, Margins: Women Helping Black Women, Oasis Women’s Health, Chocolate Milk Mommies, and Alabama Birth Center, theaims to improve medical outcomes for Alabama mothers using a holistic, reproductive justice–centered approach.
Many rural hospitals have already closed in the face of financial challenges, and others remain at risk, meaning many Alabama mothers are now forced to drive longer distances for prenatal and maternal care. “The Alabama Birth Equity Initiative is a Black-women-led, community-driven effort to build the kind of maternal health system that our communities direly need and deserve,” said Celida Soto, co-director of Margins: Women Helping Black Women., with 7.6 infant deaths per 1,000 births. For babies born to Black mothers, the rate is even higher. “Alabama continues to be one of the worst places to give birth in our nation, with Black birthers being the most at risk. Black birthers are 3-4 times more likely to die,” Soto said. The Alabama Birth Equity Initiative hopes to change that through new legislation and community programs. One of its first projects is a mobile maternal health unit. “The mobile unit will offer reproductive care, it will offer OB-GYN prenatal care, it will offer counseling and prenatal measures for birthers in rural areas,” Soto said. The initiative will also assist families after birth by providing counseling, supplies and other resources new mothers may need. Organizers said they plan to increase the number of midwives in the state and expand community-based maternal care. Among the initiative’s sponsors are the Yellowhammer Fund, Women Helping Black Women, Oasis Women’s Health and the Alabama Birth Center. Organizers said they will pursue partnerships with health systems and lawmakers to secure funding and roll out the program. Organizers say the mobile unit and legislative efforts will begin in the coming months as they call on state leaders, health care providers and funders to support investments in maternal health that prioritize equity and community leadership.
WFSA WSFA 12 News Montgomery Alabama Birth Equity Maternal Health
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gov. Cox helps launch initiative meant to help military veterans caught up in the legal systemTim Vandenack covers immigration, multicultural issues and Northern Utah for KSL. He worked several years for the Standard-Examiner in Ogden and has lived and reported in Mexico, Chile and along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Read more »
University announces Brown Ever True recovery initiative in response to shootingBrown University on Monday announced a 'joint project of repair' in the wake of the shooting in December that left two students dead and nine others injured.
Read more »
How much will a $50,000 home equity loan cost per month in 2026?Payments here may be more affordable than you think. Here's what you'd pay each month if you took out the loan now.
Read more »
Lorain Public Library honors Martin Luther King Jr. through monthlong community service initiativeThroughout January, the Domonkas Branch is hosting open knitting and crochet sessions where participants create hats, scarves, gloves and other cold-weather items. The completed items will be collected and distributed to United Way at the end of the month.
Read more »
Gone Mad Productions and Ujima Magazine Spotlight New Year Fitness Initiative for Fathers!Austin, Texas-- As the new year begins, Gone Mad Productions and Ujima Magazineare shining a light on organizations making a meaningful impact in health and we
Read more »
Autism Therapy Centers Targeted By Private Equity In U.S., Study RevealsPrivate equity firms are scooping up U.S. autism therapy centers at an unprecedented rate, a new study says.
Read more »