Giving Compass' Take:

• Tiffany Smith explains how policymakers and nonprofits are working to improve maternal health outcomes for Black women, who disproportionately die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes.

• How can funders support Black women access high-quality, compassionate healthcare? 

• Learn about a funder working to close race and gender health gaps. 

Black women are 243 percent more likely to die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes.

—Nothing Protects Black Women from Dying in Pregnancy and Childbirth: Not education. Not income. Not even being an expert on racial disparities in health care. (ProPublica and NPR News, December 2017)

A wealth of research shows that engaging a Doula and midwife significantly improves health outcomes for moms and babies. Yet Doulas and midwives are a luxury that a lot of families – especially Black and Brown families – aren’t aware of or can’t afford. Ancient Song Doula Services in my home city of Brooklyn, NY, is working to combat that. The Family Health and Birth Center in Washington, DC, offers a model of prenatal care and education that significantly improves the health and wellness of Black women and children. These types of local models keep community and the voices of women at the center of their work. Leaders of these organizations should be at the decision-making table to help scale the larger state and city-wide responses.

Read the full article about maternal health outcomes for black women by Tiffany Smith at TCC Group.