CORAL
Morehouse School of Medicine
The Center to Advance Reproductive Justice and Behavioral Health among Black Pregnant/Postpartum Women and Birthing People (CORAL) at Morehouse School of Medicine aims to help Black women survive and thrive while pregnant and postpartum, by translating maternal behavioral health research and interventions into multilayered action with communities.
Morehouse School of Medicine
Contact
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Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Natalie Dolores Hernandez
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Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Anne L. Dunlop
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Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Hannah L.F. Cooper
At a Glance
1
Research Project
15+
Community Partners
Research Topics- Black maternal behavioral health
- Substance-use disorders
- Mental health
Status
Research activities started
Overarching Aims
To develop and sustain a robust transdisciplinary community-driven research infrastructure across Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), Emory University, and community partners that supports rigorous, ethical research and effective interventions into the multilayered determinants of maternal behavioral health among Black women.
To conduct rigorous, ethical transdisciplinary research in partnership with communities to identify and effectively intervene in these multilayered determinants.
To build the capacity of the next generation of investigators, particularly underrepresented minority early-stage investigators, to conduct innovative, community-driven, transdisciplinary, ethical, rigorous research and interventions into these multilayered determinants.
To collaborate with academic, governmental, community, and other partners to disseminate and translate CORAL discoveries into effective strategies to support Black maternal behavioral health, including via the U54 Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence and other DHHS networks.
Research Project Details
Overdoses Among Black Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Laws Governing Drug use in Pregnancy (OVAL)
This study analyzes laws related to drug use in pregnancy in the US and how these laws impact drug overdose, substance use disorder treatment, and prenatal/postpartum care among Black people on Medicaid. Interviews with Black birthing people and providers in Atlanta will be used to identify strategies to overcome the harmful impact of existing laws and their implementation.
Key Maternal Health Indicators: Georgia
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126,130
live births in 2022 1
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35.2%
of births were cesarean deliveries 1
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11.9%
of births were preterm 1
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45.9%
of deliveries were covered by Medicaid 1
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1,082
women with life-threatening complications per every 100,000 births 2
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30.2
women die from pregnancy complications per every 100,000 births 3
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2.1x
more Black women die from pregnancy complications than White women 3
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Top-3 causes
of pregnancy-related deaths: cardiovascular conditions, hemorrhage, and mental health conditions 3
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15.8%
of women were without a birthing hospital within 30 minutes 4
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76.6%
of birthing women start prenatal care in the 1st trimester 1
Partner Organizations
Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory, and a robust network of community-based organizations, and guided by principles of Reproductive Justice, Research Justice, and the NIMHHD Mental Health framework, the Center to Advance Reproductive Justice and Behavioral Health among Black pregnant/postpartum women (CORAL).
CORAL is governed by a Community Accountability Board (CAB) which aims to create a nexus where reproductive justice and maternal behavioral health intersect through avenues of movement building, holistic wellness, community-based research, and advocacy. The CAB will be charged guiding its vision and mission.
“In close partnership with Black women and the organizations that serve them, CORAL will help reduce Black maternal morbidity and mortality by generating community-driven, multilayered evidence and interventions to support Black women’s maternal behavioral health, thus helping to end longstanding neglect of these intertwined crises, and the pernicious legacy of excluding Black women from related research."
Our Work
References
- Data are from 2022 live births occurring within the US to US residents. Cesarean deliveries are the percentage of live births where the final route and method of delivery was cesarean. Preterm births are the percentage of live births where the gestational age at birth was less than 37 weeks. Medicaid coverage is the percentage of live births where the source of payment for the delivery hospitalization was Medicaid. Prenatal care in the 1st trimester is the percentage of live births where the first prenatal appointment occurred between the 1st and 3rd month of pregnancy.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Natality on CDC WONDER Online Database. - Life threatening complications are deliveries with a diagnosis or procedure code indicating severe maternal morbidity. Information reported for 2021.
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, State Inpatient Databases 2010 to 2021. - Information based on pregnancy-related deaths in 2018-2020. Pregnancy-related deaths include deaths during or within a year of pregnancy from causes related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management.
Source: Georgia Department of Public Health. 2018-2020 Maternal Mortality Report. - March of Dimes Maternity Care Deserts Report 2023.