Mass General Brigham, New Commonwealth Fund Partner on Maternal Health Equity
Mass General Brigham, Massachusetts’ largest healthcare system, and the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF) will invest $2.5 million in a five-year maternal health partnership.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Black patients die during and after pregnancy at a rate three times higher than white patients, and those who are American Indian and Alaska Native die at a rate two times higher than white patients. Currently in Boston, a baby born to a Black mother is three to four times more likely to die by their first birthday than a baby born to a white mother. The NCF was formed by a coalition of Massachusetts Black and Brown executives to work with community organizations to address this and other issues of systemic racism and racial inequity in Massachusetts.
The partnership will identify practitioners and leaders in maternal health equity to join a multi-year cohort that will receive funding, support, and technical assistance to grow capacity of providers and the healthcare workforce. This cohort, along with institutional support from NCF partners, will seek to decrease racial disparities in health outcomes, increase health literacy of Black and Brown communities, and increase Black and Brown professionals in healthcare in Massachusetts. The cohort will also be encouraged to engage with other NCF grantees to facilitate additional partnerships and advancements across the NCF’s four pillars: policing & criminal justice reform; economic empowerment; healthcare equity; and youth education, empowerment and civic engagement.
“By expanding our maternal health care ecosystem and resources, we can bring this conversation and awareness to improve health outcomes for Black and Brown communities not only in our health equity pillar of giving, but also specifically in our pillar areas of criminal justice reform, youth development, and economic empowerment,” said Makeeba McCreary, Ph.D., president New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund, in a statement. “A lifetime of health equity begins even before birth,” said Elsie Taveras, M.D., M.P.H., chief community halth equity officer for nonprofit Mass General Brigham, in a statement. “Our partnership with The New Commonwealth Fund will help create a full-circle support system to improve health outcomes of Black and Brown mothers and children for generations to come and support growing and diversifying the workforce to meet these critical needs.”
In addition to this partnership, Mass General Brigham recently announced an investment of $50 million in a new, comprehensive community and mental health strategy to improve the health of the communities it serves. In partnership with more than 20 organizations, the initiatives target programs to improve mental healthcare capacity, workforce development, chronic disease management, as well as nutrition security and equity.
