Texas continues to struggle with maternal mortality and morbidity, despite a decade of tracking and reviewing these cases. Four new research centers will pilot innovative solutions.
A school flag found at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley campus in Brownsville on Oct. 19, 2021.The U.S. Health and Human Services Department is funding 16 centers nationwide. Texas’ four new centers will be at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, The University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Southern University and Texas A&M University.under its near-total abortion ban.
“That’s really crucial, because we mentor a lot of students who come from various different backgrounds,” said Kyrah Brown, an assistant professor in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at UT-Arlington. “This really creates the opportunity to engage them in research, especially if it's research that involves populations that look like them.”and nowhere near enough mental health care providers, the Rio Grande Valley has struggled to serve new moms in crisis.
Rather than requiring a new mom struggling with mental or behavioral health issues to make yet another doctor’s appointment, promotoras can meet them at home or in a community setting, she said. Robledo hopes this program will be a model to expand the mental health workforce for everyone, not just women who are pregnant and parenting.
“We’ve done this with oncology and it’s been very successful with cancer care, so why wouldn’t we take that best practice and apply it to maternal care?” said Omonike Olaleye, senior associate vice president for research and innovation at Texas Southern. Brown plans to create a policy simulator, a data dashboard that can show how different solutions might drive down maternal morbidity from cardiovascular complications in North Texas. As part of the research, they will interview community leaders, elected officials, health care workers and people who have experienced complicated pregnancies, and then offer “learning labs” to teach the community how to use the data to advocate for better outcomes.
Instead of registered nurses, A&M’s proposal would connect new moms with what they’re calling “champions” — community health workers, doulas or lay health care providers — who can offer some of the same support and connect moms to additional services as needed.
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