Healthy start initiative-eliminating racial/ethnic disparities - maternal morbidity and mortality are at an all-time high in texas, particularly among black and latina birthing people. 90% of cases of…

Healthy start initiative-eliminating racial/ethnic disparities - maternal morbidity and mortality are at an all-time high in texas, particularly among black and latina birthing people. 90% of cases of maternal mortality are preventable, and timely, culturally congruent prenatal and postpartum care can contribute to that prevention. Therefore, two established, community-based perinatal service providers, black mamas ATX (bmatx) and healing hands community doula project (hhcdp), have joined forces to develop a continuum of perinatal services called the black solidarity perinatal model. We intentionally chose the name black solidarity perinatal model to emphasize our prioritization of black birthing people, those most impacted by perinatal health outcome disparities, despite serving all races. We are developing and implementing a model centering those who are most impacted, knowing IT will still be beneficial to those who are less impacted by these disparities. These services meet the minimum requirements of the healthy start grant, namely health promotion and education; preventive screening services and prenatal care; referrals and linkage to community services addressing sdoh; navigation support across the clinical care continuum; and a robust network of referral partnerships including map, medicaid, snap, WIC, and other local and state programs. The long-term objective of this model is to eliminate black birth outcome disparities and significantly reduce maternal morbidity and mortality for women in general, but black women specifically, through the integration of community-based support services into perinatal systems of care across central texas. The model is enhanced by individual counseling with local, culturally congruent therapists through a partnership with bmatx, as well as parent education on healthy infant and toddler practices from maternal health equity collaborative (mhec) partners. Healthy start central texas will be supported by a pre-established community consortium, the mhec, which includes four birth organizations and two parental support organizations that have been convening for the past 5 years to improve perinatal care services across central texas. This project aligns with hrsa priorities to improve the continuity of perinatal care among underserved and under-resourced populations, reducing health disparities and supporting the local community through community-based services. IT also aligns with hrsa priorities to prevent clinical conditions such as maternal mortality and morbidity, as well as address individual needs and social determinants of health. Therefore, we will utilize a data-informed, quality improvement approach to address maternal health disparities among black and latina women through a community-based model of care.