Southern Center for Maternal Health Equity
Tulane University, RH Impact, and Oschner Health
The Southern Center for Maternal Health Equity aims to implement multilevel programs to prevent maternal complications and improve access to care for Black birthing people, pregnancies in the Gulf South, and those living in maternity care deserts.
Tulane University
Contact
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Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Emily Harville
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Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Joseph Biggio
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Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Susan Perez
At a Glance
3
Research Projects
10+
Community Partners
Research Topics- Implicit Bias
- Postpartum Medicaid extension
- Remote monitoring
Status
Formative research
Overarching Aims
To improve maternal health through testing community-prioritized and co-developed strategies to address root causes of maternal morbidity and mortality focusing on Black women in the Gulf South
To test a multifaceted behavior change intervention to reduce biased treatment in a large health care system
Research Project Details
Conduct a trial in a large health care system of a multifaceted behavior change intervention to reduce biased treatment.
This study is a multi-hospital cluster-randomized controlled trial that aims to compare the effect of an interactive multifaceted intervention (i.e., implicit bias training, incorporating equity in all quality improvement, and community partnership building) to a remote asynchronous training on implicit bias within 9 Ochsner hospitals.
Adapt and evaluate an enhanced remote monitoring package, Connected MOM+ (at-home blood pressure and weight monitoring)
This study will use a stepped-wedge design to examine implementation of enhanced remote monitoring of blood pressure and weight among pregnant people across 27 parishes in northern Louisiana.
Impact of Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Extension and Mandated Postpartum Depression Screening on Care for Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension
The Medicaid postpartum extension (MPE) and postpartum depression screening mandate in Louisiana will be compared to Mississippi to evaluate the effectiveness and contextual factors of implementation strategies that aim to improve maternal postpartum health and health equity.
Key Maternal Health Indicators: Louisiana
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56,479
live births in 2022 1
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35.5%
of births were cesarean deliveries 1
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13.3%
of births were preterm 1
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61.3%
of deliveries were covered by Medicaid 1
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791
women with life threatening complications per every 100,000 births 2
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28.9
women die from pregnancy complications per every 100,000 births 3
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2.5x
more Black women die from pregnancy complications than White women 3
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Top-3 Causes
of pregnancy-related deaths: cardiovascular conditions, pulmonary embolism, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy 3
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12.1%
of women are without a birthing hospital within 30 minutes 4
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82.2%
of birthing women start prenatal care in the 1st trimester 1
Partner Organizations
The Southern Center for Maternal Health Equity is a partnership led by RH Impact, Tulane University, and Ochsner Health System. Other academic partners include Dillard University and The University of Mississipi Medical Center.
The Center's Community Action and Advisory Boards include representatives from:
- Crescent City Family Services
- Institute for Women's and Ethnic Studies
- Golden Aura Wellness
- The New Orleans MCH Coalition
- Blooming Moon Midwifery Services/ Mississippi Center for Birth and Breastfeeding Equity
- Birthmark Doula Collective
- Nola Baby Café
"Our aim is to significantly impact maternal health in the Gulf South using participatory, community-centered, and radically equity-focused approaches."
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 2020.
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, State Inpatient Databases 2010 to 2021. - Number of deaths is based on pregnancy-related deaths in 2019. The difference in rate of pregnancy-related deaths between Black and White women and top 3 causes of pregnancy-related deaths are based on deaths in 2017-2019. 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: Louisiana Department of Health. Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review, 2017-2019 Report. - March of Dimes Maternity Care Deserts Report 2023.