Health Net Funding Helping Black Mothers and Would-Be Moms Battle Pregnancy-Related Conditions

Date: 12/08/23

In the United States, the reality is that Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. And they're twice as likely to suffer from short- or long-term issues than women of all other racial and ethnic groups. In fact, research has shown many times that Black mothers and babies have the worst childbirth outcomes in the nation.

The California Coalition for Black Birth Justice (the Coalition) was formed to address this crisis. It's the first of its kind in California. The group's purpose: To unify and strengthen Black maternal health across the state.

Health Net helped to create The Coalition back in 2022 with $150,000 in grants. The funding allowed the Coalition bring together birth equity and reproductive justice experts. These specialists were called to help fast track justice for Black birth rates and to drive unified efforts throughout California.

The funds were also crucial for:

• Letting the Coalition serve as a conduit for statewide birth justice resources
• Backing the care and talent of the Black birth justice workforce
• Raising systems change improvement efforts within healthcare companies

Health Net has also formed a joint partnership with Cherished Futures for Black Moms & Babies in order to:

• Reduce healthcare injustice
• Inform hospital quality improvement strategies
• Ensure Black women have a voice in healthcare policy and planning

Health Net also invested in a doula program which resulted in a 50 percent decrease in C-section rates for Black mothers in South Los Angeles.

With decades of experience providing care for Californians, Health Net has learned first-hand how better health outcomes are directly related to access to care. That's why we've invested $100 million since 2017 in nearly 500 community projects to bridge the divide in access, equity and quality of healthcare. Our work is not finished, it's just starting. And we look forward to having a greater impact in the future.