Reducing preterm birth and maternal mortality rates in 9 U.S. communities
Our Local Collective Impact Initiatives mobilize cross-sector organizations and community members locally to address the underlying challenges impacting moms and babies and deploy strategies to improve rates of preterm birth and maternal mortality.
How We Work
This is a multi-year effort that will require time to build shared agendas, infrastructure and community partnerships and then implement strategies to create real, measurable change in these 9 U.S. communities.
This work requires us to:
- Share information broadly about the current state of maternal and infant health with key leaders, policy makers, decision makers, families and residents.
- Engage cross-sector partners, including individuals affected by the challenges, who can collaborate and mobilize towards improvement.
- Create a shared agenda with strategies that will drive change and reduce racial disparities.
- Collect, analyze and report data to set a baseline of key performance measures for improvement.
- Build a culture of continuous improvement and evaluation around reducing prematurity and maternal mortality rates.
- Build and expand upon existing resources to maximize impact.
Our Local Collective Impact Locations
Select a location to learn more about our initiative there.
News & Resources
Together with collaborative partners Harmonious Birthing, Paradigm Doulas, Push Birth Partners, Sanyika the Doula, and Vibrationz of Soul, the March of Dimes Collective Impact Initiative in Greater Houston is pleased to provide community-based doula training. The initiative works for all women in greater Houston to attain optimal health in all phases of life, including healthy birth outcomes. Learn more.
When Tonjanic discovered she was expecting twins, she was excited yet anxious. Due to her previous trauma and pregnancy history of losing her first child at 19 weeks, she was told to eliminate all stressors from her life. She quit her job, obtained pregnancy Medicaid coverage, and spent four months on bedrest at home. She transferred into the antepartum unit at Children’s Memorial Hermann where she spent one month prior to delivery. Hear Her.
Erica, a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist in a Houston community clinic, delivered her son by emergency Cesarean birth at 31 weeks after experiencing weeks of high blood pressure. During the immediate postpartum period, she thought that her hospital stay should’ve gone differently: her blood pressure continued to be elevated and her requests for treatment were consistently ignored. Hear Her.