WEEKLY UPDATE: 10/03/24
The Connecticut Health Foundation, the state’s largest independent health philanthropy dedicated to improving health outcomes for people of color, announced it has convened an advisory committee to develop recommendations for organizations and agencies across the state.
The advisory committee is intended to facilitate collaboration among people with lived experience, decision-makers, and experts already working to address maternal health equity issues. Members’ insights will help shape the blueprint, which will serve as a roadmap to guide inclusive and effective maternal health policies in Connecticut.
The blueprint, expected to be completed in 2025, is intended to combat maternal health disparities for Black people in Connecticut, who face higher rates of maternal mortality and morbidity. Nationally, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.
“Our vision is for Connecticut to be a state where all pregnant people of color have the opportunity to have a healthy pregnancy, birth, and start to parenthood, and we are thrilled to work with this dynamic and knowledgeable advisory committee to understand what is needed to make this vision a reality,” said Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation.
Mark Schaefer, Vice President, System Innovation and Financing, Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA), has been appointed to the advisory committee. CHA has adopted a four-part statewide maternal health strategy to guide its work and advocacy, informed by comprehensive federal and state-level reports on maternal health. The purpose of the foundation’s advisory committee aligns with and advances the goals of CHA’s Statewide Strategy To Improve Maternal Health, including addressing structural, upstream, root cause drivers of maternal health such as racism, discrimination, and economic inequality.
Click here to read CHA’s Statewide Strategy To Improve Maternal Health.
