Addressing Disparities in Pregnancy Care Leads to Healthier Infants and Parents

Ensuring a woman’s  physical, mental, and  societal needs are  met at the onset of  pregnancy through  the postpartum can significantly  – and positively – impact health  disparities, healthcare costs,  maternal and infant mortality,  as well as pregnancy-related  complications. 

The Centers for Disease  Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates half of counties across the United  States have no obstetrical providers. Furthermore, rural and low-income  communities are disproportionately affected by access issues due to the  need to travel further for both obstetrical providers and neonatal care.  The inability to access these services amplifies the risk of unidentified  and untreated physical and mental health conditions that can harm the  health and life of the mother and baby. 

Maternal mortality has steadily increased in the United States, with  an estimated 80% of pregnancy-related deaths deemed preventable. 

Clearly, Effective Maternal Care Is A Public Health  Issue That Must Be Addressed. 

Maternal health is a strong predictor of child health outcomes at delivery  and continues to have a significant impact during adulthood. Research  shows that early engagement and intervention in pregnancy care  decreases adverse health outcomes for both the mother and newborn.  However, for those with limited access to preventative or obstetrical  provider care, many routine needs go unaddressed and educational  opportunities do not occur. 

While solutions for barriers to care across all social and economic  levels are essential, pregnancy and infant health disparities continue to  disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC),  highlighting the underlying difference these populations experience  when it comes to care – systematic racism and discrimination within the  healthcare system. The CDC states that compared to white pregnancies,  these groups experience higher rates of pregnancy-related deaths,  preterm births, low birthweight births, and delayed or no prenatal care. 

Fragmented postnatal care for both infant and  parent can result in increased physical and mental health  complications risks, leading to higher rates of illness,  hospital stays, longer-term recovery, and increased  costs. 

Many states have adopted policies extending  Medicaid coverage of the mother for 12 months postdelivery  providing an opportunity for uninterrupted  care. This is an important step in addressing maternal  health disparities enabling continuous care for physical  health concerns and mental health conditions such as  depression. This additional time helps foster engagement  with interventions to support healthy lifestyle choices  inspiring better long-term health outcomes  for parents and their children. 

While access to care, addressing social  barriers, and health education support  improved rates of outcomes for historically  marginalized groups, ultimately closing these  gaps will require a conscious effort on the  part of healthcare organizations, providers,  and community leaders to combat structural  racism and discrimination affecting  healthcare. 

Using a data-driven, clinically informed  framework to implement solutions that measurably  improve the communities’ health enables greater  equity, allowing individuals to achieve their highestlevel  health. By identifying communities where birthing  parent and infant health disparities are more prominent,  the use of local community-based services, including  doulas, can provide individuals additional access to  care and increase the opportunity to address cultural  barriers. Using pregnancy assessments that take a  whole-health approach during each trimester can add  to understanding an individual’s barriers to achieving  a healthy pregnancy and delivery and influence an  individualized care plan. Solving barriers such as access  to prenatal vitamins, transportation to appointments,  and preexisting or emerging mental health concerns  also contribute to positive outcomes. 

Payers and the healthcare system have a unique  opportunity to harness the power of data to drive  critical decisions and support comprehensive care.  Analytical findings should be leveraged to create an  engaging person-centered experience that meets  individuals’ needs. By constructing an inclusive, personcentered,  integrated, whole-health 1555 experience, the  healthcare industry can improve birth outcomes, combat  racial inequity in care, reduce neonatal admissions,  and coordinate care for pregnant individuals and their  newborns – leading to improved health outcomes.