Houston, TX
We are working together to address the issues furthering health inequities for families in Houston.
Our Work Together
Partnering with local government, state leaders, corporate health partners and community-based organizations and stakeholders, our Local Collective Impact Initiative will confront challenges by building solutions to achieve health and racial equity for all moms and babies.
Challenges Facing Local Moms and Babies
Houston is our nation's fourth-largest city. With no racial or ethnic majority, it has one of the fastest-growing and most diverse populations anywhere in the world, with a talented workforce cutting across the energy, health care, aerospace and information technology sectors. Houston anchors Harris County, which is our nation's third largest county with 4.7 million residents. With just over 67,000 live births, Harris County babies accounted for approximately one-fifth of all babies born in Texas in 2018.
The area also faces challenges. Poverty and food insecurity, alongside factors such as inadequate access to health care and being uninsured, help fuel the local maternal and infant health crisis. These factors contribute to high rates of preterm birth, infant mortality and severe maternal morbidity, particularly for communities of color.
PRETERM BIRTH BY RACE/ETHNICITY
Houston, 2017-2019 Average
INFANT MORTALITY RATES BY RACE/ETHNICITY
Harris County, 2016-2018 Average
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.
GET INVOLVED
Every family can have the best possible start. But today, too many moms and babies are dying or experiencing serious health complications related to childbirth—and far too many are moms and babies of color. Only by working together can we confront inequities and ensure the health and wellbeing of every family.
