Patient Care Access News

NYC Initiative Set to Reduce Maternal Health Disparities

The initiative will provide families with the greatest social needs access to doulas as a means to address maternal health disparities faced by families of color.

The program services are expected to reach nearly 500 families.

Source: Getty Images

By Sarai Rodriguez

- New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced new efforts to expand access to maternal health services, targeting care inequities that drive maternal health disparities for Black and Latino families.

The programs, Citywide Doula Initiative, The Midwifery Initiative, and the Maternity Hospital Quality Improvement Network (MHQIN), will specifically address care gaps in maternal deaths and infant mortality.

“The root causes of racial disparities in maternal health are real, so it’s time we do right by every mother and every baby, no matter the color of their skin or the language they speak,” Mayor Adams said in a press release. “Today, we are announcing a multifaceted initiative to help reduce the inequities that have allowed children and mothers to die at the exact time when we should be welcoming a life.”