Background
The U.S. is in the midst of a maternal and infant health crisis that is particularly devastating to women and babies of color. Inequities in health begin before birth and continue through childhood.
Preterm birth rates in the U.S. from 2021 to 2023 were highest for Black infants (14.7%), followed by American Indian/Alaska Natives (12.4%), Hispanics (10.1%), Whites (9.5%), and Asian/Pacific Islanders (9.4%).
Infant death is more than twice as likely among children born to Black women as among those born to White women.
Pregnancy-related mortality in the U.S. is at the highest rate in the developed world; approximately 700 women die in our country each year from pregnancy complications. Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications than White women.
Disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes are attributed to many factors—access to care, race/ethnicity, education, socioeconomic status, cultural barriers, and physical and mental health.
2021–2024
Over the past three years, the Foundation has invested $30 million to support programs to help ensure that women and their babies can achieve optimal health and well‑being by:
- Reducing the preterm birth rate
- Reducing severe maternal morbidity and mortality
- Reducing the primary cesarean rate
Foundation Accomplishments: 2021–2024
Awarded to 46 nonprofit organizations across the country.
People reached through awareness efforts, screenings, and other services.
Maternal health workers trained and given resources.
Improvement in preterm birth rates among program participants, compared with the national average.
What’s Next
It has been demonstrated that programs that address the whole health of the mother improve pregnancy and delivery outcomes. To ensure the most-positive outcomes, the Foundation is expanding its focus to include the entire pregnancy journey.
The Foundation is launching a new five-year commitment, starting in January 2025, that will holistically support women through the continuum of the maternal/infant health cycle, including their physical, behavioral, and social needs—from preconception health and family planning to supporting mothers and infants 12 months postpartum.
The Foundation remains committed to partnering with nonprofit organizations addressing whole-person care that demonstrate a deep understanding of the health-related needs of the populations they serve.
Our Approach in Action
Healthy Birth Day
Committed to improving health equity and birth outcomes, Healthy Birth Day helps save babies using the Count the Kicks stillbirth-prevention program. The programs educate parents on the importance of tracking their babies’ movements in the third semester of pregnancy and to speak up if they notice a change.
The Elevance Health Foundation has expanded its support of Count the Kicks to help the organization reach 900,000 people across 10 states.
Kent State’s Spirit of Motherhood Program
Spirit of Motherhood is a multilevel, multigenerational intervention program that uses doulas, community health workers, and licensed therapists to reduce trauma and stress symptoms experienced by pregnant participants.
Building on an earlier Foundation grant of $100,000, a new $300,000 grant will help the Spirit of Motherhood program continue its work over the next three years and expand its reach throughout the Akron, Canton, and Cleveland areas.
Creating Healthier Communities (CHC)
Black women have a 50% greater likelihood of preterm births than women of other races and ethnicities. To combat this disparity, through a $7 million grant, the Elevance Health Foundation and CHC aim to bring to market a novel point-of-care tool that will screen pregnant Black women for stress and social drivers of health that are predictors of preterm birth. This tool will be adapted to support maternal healthcare and for use with electronic medical records.
The tool’s efficacy will be studied by assessing changes in preterm birth rates among pregnant women screened with it.
The Morehouse School of Medicine
Maternal health outcomes are adversely affected by variations in quality of healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, and more. The Elevance Health Foundation has provided a $1.7 million grant to the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, to support an interprofessional training program addressing maternal heath.
The program will focus on enhanced communication, clinical-care coordination, and improved performance for marginalized communities.