Maven Clinic, the virtual clinic for women’s and family health, and March for Moms, a non-profit that improves the health and wellbeing of mothers through advocacy and awareness, have launched MPact for Families, a new program to invest in community-based organizations (CBOs) advancing maternal health. The program provides financial, mentoring, and skill support to community-based organizations that are filling gaps in the traditional health care system, and building the trust within their communities that is core to delivering better health outcomes.
The launch of MPact for Families comes at a time when the maternal health crisis continues to worsen, especially for mothers of color. According to the CDC, Black and Indigenous mothers in the United States are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white mothers on average. There are many social and structural factors that contribute to these disparities, including a lack of access to high-quality health care. More than 7 million women of childbearing age in the United States live in counties with limited or no access to maternity care. Research has shown that community-based approaches can play a role in addressing these gaps in care and improving maternal health outcomes.
Through MPact for Families, Maven Clinic and March for Moms are supporting two organizations in a 12-month program:
- Black Mamas ATX: Black Mamas ATX’s mission is to ensure that Black women survive and thrive before, during and after childbirth. Through culturally congruent programs including free doula support and monthly Sister Circle support groups, Black Mamas ATX is leading the charge in Central Texas to help Black mothers get the resources needed to have healthy pregnancies and birthing experiences.
- Chocolate Milk Mommies: Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Chocolate Milk Mommies seeks to decrease racial disparities in black maternal and child health by implementing initiatives that support breastfeeding and increase access to maternal and child health care resources. These programs include free support from a licensed lactation counselor, breast pump rental programs, and virtual mommy meetups.
“As Maven seeks to transform the way women and families are cared for across the country, we are thrilled to partner with March for Moms to support organizations like Black Mamas ATX and Chocolate Milk Mommies that are providing exceptional levels of support to their communities and whose programs can serve as models nationwide,” said Kate Ryder, Founder and CEO of Maven.
“Maven’s health equity strategy recognizes that community-based organizations are essential to addressing the many disparities we see in maternal health across the United States, which is why we’re excited to invest in organizations like Black Mamas ATX and Chocolate Milk Mommies,” said Dr. Dawn Godbolt, Director of Health Equity at Maven.
“In partnership with Maven, the goal of MPact for Families is to invest time, talent and treasures in the community-based organizations that are helping families thrive, and demonstrating tremendous resilience to serve their communities despite financial constraints and limited staff capacity,” said Laneceya Russ, Executive Director of March for Moms.
“In a state like Texas where Black women account for 11% of births but 31% of maternal deaths, Black Mamas ATX is crucial to the wellbeing of our community, and we look forward to scaling our impact through partnerships with like-minded organizations like Maven and March for Moms,” said Kelenne Blake-Fallon, Executive Director of Black Mamas ATX.
“As Chocolate Milk Mommies advances its work to address racial disparities in breastfeeding and ensure Black women have what they need to breastfeed, we’re excited to partner with Maven and March for Moms to touch the lives of many more families in Alabama and throughout the country,” said Tiffany Campbell, President of Chocolate Milk Mommies.
