Joint Webinar: Evidence-Based Childbirth Education: A Critical Strategy to Improve Birth Outcomes and Reduce Maternal Health Disparities

On Thursday, July 23, Lamaze International hosted a FREE joint webinar with the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus (BMHC). In this webinar, U.S. Representative Alma Adams of North Carolina and U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood of Illinois, Tara Owens Schuler, CD (DONA), LCCE, and DONA President Melissa Harley, CD(DONA), LCCE discussed how childbirth education can play a part in the collective effort to reduce maternal health disparities and make a true difference in improving maternal and childbirth outcomes for Black mothers. Learn more.

NEW: 2020 Issue Briefs & Advocacy Resources

• About Lamaze International
• Childbirth Education Impact Infographic
• Impact of Childbirth Education: "Evidence-Based Childbirth Education: A Key Strategy to Improve U.S. Maternal & Childbirth Outcomes"
• Shared Decision-Making: "Evidence-Based Childbirth Education: An Essential Step in Shared Decision-Making for Maternity Care"

2021 Federal Appropriations: Letters of Support (February & March 2020)

Lamaze Joins Stakeholder in Supporting Title V Funding for Maternal and Child Health Services Program

Lamaze International signed onto an AMCHP letter requesting that the FY2021 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education & Related Agencies Appropriations bill allocate $715 million for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services.

The Title V MCH Block Grant helps meet the unique needs of MCH populations in each U.S. state, territory, and jurisdiction. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), 91 percent of all pregnant women, 99 percent of infants, and 54 percent of children nationwide benefitted from a Title V-supported service in FY2018.

Lamaze Signs Letters to House and Senate Appropriations Chairs Supporting Funds for MCH Programs

In March 2020, Lamaze signed stakeholder letters requesting funding for the following MCH programs:

• HRSA Title V MCH Services Block Grant
• HRSA Healthy Start
• CDC Safe Motherhood and Infant Health
• NIH National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

AMCHP Title V Needs Assessment

Every five years, HRSA’s Title V Grant Program requires states and jurisdictions to conduct state-/jurisdiction-wide, comprehensive needs-assessment. These assessments helps guide and facilitate strategic planning and decision making, as well as strategic resource allocation. This process also enables state/jurisdiction Title V programs to benchmark and plan in five-year segments.

Learn more about the Title V Needs-Assessment process by visiting the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs Title V Resources and Toolkit.

Federal Legislation to Track and Support (2019 & 2020)

Lamaze International is pleased to support the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus’ Momnibus, a legislative package that seeks to improve maternal and childbirth outcomes for women disproportionately affected by maternal mortality and morbidity. The nine bills within the Momnibus would increase access to comprehensive and quality prenatal services such as evidence-based childbirth education. Such initiatives would improve U.S. maternal and childbirth outcomes and reduce U.S. maternal mortality rates that disproportionately affect black women.

• H.R. 6132, the Social Determinants for Moms Act would invest in health social determinants that influence maternal health outcomes, such as housing, transportation, and nutrition.
• H.R. 6144, the Honoring Kira Johnson Act would help fund community-based organizations that are help improve maternal health outcomes for Black women.
• H.R. 6141, the Protecting Moms who Served Act would study the maternal-health risks women veterans face and invest in VA maternity-care coordination.
• H.R. 6164, the Perinatal Workforce Act would increase and diversify the perinatal workforce to ensure that all women receive maternity care and support from perinatal workers.
• H.R. 5640/S. 3152, the Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act would improve data collection processes and quality measures to better understand maternal health crisis causes in the United States and inform solutions to address it.
• H.R. 6143, the Moms MATTER Act would support maternal mental healthcare and substance use disorder treatments.
• H.R. 6129, the Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act would improve maternal health care and support for incarcerated women.
• H.R. 5640/S. 3152, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Act would invest in digital tools such as telehealth to improve maternal health outcomes for women in underserved areas.
• H.R. 6137, the IMPACT to Save Moms Act would promote innovative payment models to incentivize high-quality maternity care and continue health-insurance coverage from pregnancy through one-year postpartum.

Lamaze is also pleased to support several legislative initiatives that would establish, standardize, and support mechanisms to improve maternal healthcare outcomes. 

• H.R. 1551/S. 1960, the Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act would develop maternal and infant quality metrics, create a grant program to develop and enhance state-based maternal and infant collaboratives, as well as develop a consumer-satisfaction survey to gather data on patients’ practitioner, payer, and facility experiences.
• H.R. 1897/S. 916, the Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA’s) Act seeks to establish protocol for sharing best practices among maternal mortality review committees, standardize data maternal mortality data reporting, extend Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months postpartum, and develop culturally competent care modules to ensure that all women receive appropriate maternal and postpartum care.  Lamaze supports this bill because of its intent to standardize maternal mortality data collection, its focus on cultural competencies, and its attention to establishing and communicating best practices.
• H.R. 5189, the Birth Access Benefiting Improved Essential Facility Services (BABIES) Act would establish a demonstration project for Birth and Health Centers in underserved communities throughout the United States. These centers would serve as maternity care entry points and facilitate referrals to appropriate care providers as necessary. The bill would promote and support birth centers and increase access to local, comprehensive care for those in remote or underserved areas.  The project’s associated evaluation method would generate more data on birth center efficacy and other similar initiatives. Many Lamaze educators work closely with birth centers; this bill would increase access to these centers, as well as to childbirth education.

Advocacy PDF Downloads

• About Lamaze Childbirth Educators
• International Childbirth Initiative 12 Steps to Safe and Respectful MotherBaby-Family Maternity Care
• International Childbirth Initiative 12 Steps to Safe and Respectful MotherBaby-Family Maternity Care (Summary)
• Why Does Childbirth Education Matter?

Together, we can improve access to evidence-based childbirth education—and ultimately, childbirth outcomes. Let us know if you have questions about, or ideas for, Lamaze advocacy.