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Maternal Health
Giving birth is the primary reason for hospitalizations in the US and California.  Annually, 500,000 babies are born in the state, with half paid for by Medi-Cal. There are significant, unwarranted variations in maternity care quality, alarming disparities, and wasted resources. CHCF aims to improve quality and lower the costs of maternity care in California, especially for birthing people with low incomes, by ensuring appropriate care and reducing disparities in outcomes. 
Learn about CHCF’s approach to building health equity in California


CHCF Blog

Advancing Midwifery and Birth Equity in California

February 1, 2023
Silvina Martinez
Maternal Health, Health Equity, Workforce
Midwives assist people with low- to moderate-risk pregnancies and are a growing component of the maternity workforce in California.
Program

Birth Equity

Health Equity, Maternal Health
Improving Birth Equity in California’s Health Care System is a quality-improvement initiative designed to improve birth care, experiences, and outcomes for, by, and with Black mothers and birthing people in California.
CHCF Blog

Nurse Practitioners Can Offer More Abortion Care in Underserved Areas

August 8, 2022
Minerva Canto
Workforce, Maternal Health
A conversation with Sarah McNeil, family medicine doctor and family planning specialist focused on expanding health care access.
CHCF Blog

Nurse Practitioners Can Help Ease Abortion Care ‘Bottleneck’ Caused by High Court Ruling

August 1, 2022
Anne Sunderland
Workforce, Maternal Health
A conversation with Christine Henneberg — physician, abortion care provider, author, and mother.
CHCF Blog

In Shadow of Devastating Abortion Ruling, California Will Stand Tall

June 27, 2022
Sandra R. Hernández
Maternal Health
The state's leadership will be more important than ever.
Project

Reducing Unnecessary C-Sections in California

June 2022
Maternal Health
CHCF worked with partners statewide to promote higher-value maternity care by reducing the rate of unnecessary c-sections in five years to under 23.9% for low-risk deliveries.
Project

Improving Maternal Mental Health Care

May 2022
Maternal Health
CHCF is working with partners to develop innovative, practical solutions for delivering mental health care to California's mothers and expectant mothers in need.
CHCF Blog

Penalizing Abortion Providers Will Have Ripple Effects Across Pregnancy Care

May 5, 2022
Julia Strasser, Candice Chen, Sara Rosenbaum, Ellen Schenk, Emma Dewhurst 
Health Equity, Workforce, Maternal Health
The Supreme Court is moving toward reversing Roe v. Wade and eliminating the federal constitutional right to abortion. This could have immeasurable negative effects on pregnant people and families, including the loss of access to necessary treatment associated with miscarriage.
CHCF Blog

Moving the Needle on Black Birth Equity — a Call to Action

November 30, 2021
Stephanie Teleki, Tenesha Duncan, Kindra Montgomery-Block, Lourdes Rodriguez, Monique Shaw
Maternal Health, Health Equity
The philanthropy community has an urgent responsibility to address the structural factors leading to birth inequities.
CHCF Blog

Health Affairs Explores Mental Health Link to Birth Outcomes

November 22, 2021
Heather Tirado Gilligan
Health Equity, Maternal Health
Stories That Caught Our Attention: The health policy journal Health Affairs published a special issue featuring important perinatal mental health data and analysis.
Project

Educating Perinatal Providers on Implicit Bias and Reproductive Justice

November 2021
Maternal Health, Health Equity
California Senate Bill 464 aims to reduce pregnancy-related preventable deaths, severe illnesses, and associated health disparities. To help perinatal care providers comply with the law, CHCF supported the development of a free e-learning course that explicitly addresses the requirements of SB 464.
CHCF Blog

Spreading the Stories of Joyful Black Births

August 5, 2021
Xenia Shih Bion
Health Equity, Maternal Health
Kimberly Seals Allers talks about her new podcast aimed at debunking negative media narratives about Black childbirth.
CHCF Blog

Challenging Providers to Look Within Themselves

July 7, 2021
Stephanie Teleki
Maternal Health, Health Equity
A new California law aims to reduce maternal deaths by requiring perinatal providers to undergo implicit bias training. CHCF supported development of a free e-learning course with tools to help maternity care providers reshape their care.
CHCF Blog

Maternal Health in Black and White

April 26, 2021
Heather Tirado Gilligan
Maternal Health
Stories That Caught Our Attention: Black Maternal Health Week called attention to the need for implicit bias training paired with policy changes to advance Black birth equity.
CHCF Blog

What Are the Biden Administration’s Health Policy Priorities?

March 3, 2021
Billy Wynne, Dawn Joyce
Expanding Health Coverage, Maternal Health
When it comes to health care, the fledgling administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hit the ground running.
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OAKLAND
1438 Webster Street #400
Oakland, CA 94612
Tel: 510.238.1040 Fax: 510.201.2991
DIRECTIONS TO CHCF OAKLAND
SACRAMENTO
1415 L Street #820
Sacramento, CA 95814
Tel: 916.329.4540 Fax: 916.329.4544
DIRECTIONS TO CHCF SACRAMENTO

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