Every Mother Counts Joins The White House Maternal Health Call to Action Summit

The movement towards maternal health equity is growing, and with collective action, progress is possible. Today’s Maternal Health Day of Action demonstrates the White House’s commitment to addressing the maternal health crisis in the United States, and builds on years of important work by policymakers, organizations, advocates, providers, and community members who have been leading this work. 
 
At Every Mother Counts, we work to advance policies and systems change that will support our mission to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother, everywhere. Every Mother Counts collaborates with key decision-makers, thought and practice leaders, and community members throughout the United States to ensure that all mothers and birthing families can access the high quality, respectful maternity care they need and deserve. 
 
And today, we are proud to build on our commitment to maternal health and birth equity as a part of the White House’s Call to Action. The White House released commitments from the public and private sector that further the movement towards maternal health equity, including key initiatives of Every Mother Counts in 2022:

1. Every Mother Counts is launching a new video series in partnership with CVS in early 2022. Our new Choices in Childbirth series of videos and supporting resources assist expecting parents through their maternity care journey, with the ultimate goal of improving maternal health and birth equity in the United States.

The films feature discussions between diverse groups of expecting mothers and doulas, midwives, obstetricians, and lactation consultants to frame expectations around the pregnancy and birth experience. Across the series, storytelling and client conversations guided by doulas and birth educators are used to highlight what good care and empowered decision-making looks like leading up to and during the birth and postpartum experience. The underlying learning agenda is based on data-informed topics including: assembling a care team; building a birth plan; promotion of prenatal care visits; childbirth care decision-making; techniques to enhance provider communication; and much more.

The series features custom content and supplemental materials that align with each episode, informing viewers of healthy behaviors and communication methods when working with their care team. The content creation was led by community-based leaders working in a variety of communities and settings across the U.S. and features these experts’ perspectives throughout the series. 

2. Every Mother Counts commits to launching the EMC Transformation Fund, designed to seed, incubate, and accelerate early-stage ideas that have the potential to transform maternity care and advance birth justice for all.

Beginning in 2022, EMC will commit $5 million over the next three years towards multi-year funding for catalytic, multi-dimensional, and collaborative initiatives, including: JustBirth Space, a virtual platform providing support during pregnancy and postpartum via text, phone and video calls, and support groups and classes, grounded in a birth justice framework; curriculum project for healthcare clinicians based on EMC’s Giving Birth in America film series; and other innovative models that could transform care experiences and outcomes for all. These investments will demonstrate high impact models that increase health systems integration and interconnectedness, elevate person-centered solutions and tools, and focus on equitable and respectful care practices.

We are more committed than ever to improving maternal health in the United States. If you would like to get involved with the movement, please visit our Take Action page. Join us!