Maternal and Child Health Tools and Resources

Highlighted here are models, tools, and other educational resources hospitals and health systems can use to improve outcomes for mothers and babies.

Models and Tools
Infographic: Digital Solutions to Improve Maternal Care: Considerations for Hospitals

Hospitals and patients are seeking tools that support maternal health while offering greater convenience and efficiency, along with more comprehensive, culturally competent care. Digital solutions can support hospitals’ efforts as they work to improve patients’ outcomes and experiences.

�� Association – Better Health for Mothers and Babies

The �� Association (AHA) has taken on the goal of eliminating maternal mortality and reducing severe morbidity through our Better Health for Mothers and Babies initiative. As part of the initiative, the AHA has developed various resources to help meet the goal of eliminating maternal mortality and reducing severe morbidity.
The �� Association is partnering with AIM to support hospitals by translating the evidence into implementation steps. The work assesses the most important areas to focus on in implementing leading practices in reducing maternal morbidity. The easy-to-use tools are a way identify and close gaps that might exist.
CMQCC provides evidence-based toolkits which have been utilized in numerous hospitals of all sizes to achieve significant results. The site also provides information on the CMQCC benchmarking tool which hundreds of hospitals are utilizing to measure their improvement in a collaborative community.
Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model – Addresses fragmentation in the care of pregnant and postpartum Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD) through state-driven transformation of the delivery system surrounding this vulnerable population. By supporting the coordination of clinical care and the integration of other services critical for health, wellbeing, and recovery, the MOM model has the potential to improve quality of care and reduce costs for mothers and infants.
The Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, an affiliate of the �� Association, works closely with health services organizations to advance health equity for all and to expand leadership opportunities for ethnic minorities in health management.
March of Dimes Implicit Bias Training

The March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies no matter their age, socio-economic background or demographics. MOD pioneers research to find solutions to the biggest health threats to moms and babies. The �� Association recognizes the value of the March of Dimes implicit bias training program and the potential benefits of its use by health care providers across the country to better identify and remedy implicit bias in maternity care.
Knowing what to do is essential. The �� Association is encouraging hospitals to take advantage of the learnings of the tools and evidence based practices, which have shown success in California through CMQCC and in Minnesota through the Minnesota Hospital Association.
Preeclampsia Foundation is working on improve the outcomes of hypertensive disorders in pregnant individuals, by educating, supporting and engaging the community, improving health care practices, and finding a cure. It is providing The Cuff Kit™ to help pregnant and postpartum individual manage their blood pressure at home.
Developed by First Year Cleveland’s Pregnancy and Infant Loss Committee and the Healthy Neighborhoods Committee of Healthy Cleveland, this 20-minute film follows a day in the life of a Black pregnant woman. It explores the toxic stress, microaggressions, racial inequities that impact the health of Black moms and their birth outcome. AHA members can purchase the film for a discounted price. The film is currently being used by hospitals, health systems and a variety of community stakeholders to set the stage for robust conversations among health care staff, social services professionals, educators, policy makers, women and their families about issues that are critical to improving health equity.
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Reports and Other Resources
The AAMC is committed to a multipronged approach to avoid all preventable maternal deaths and improve maternal health and health equity around the country. The AAMC Center for Health Justice develops resources, convenes experts, and strengthens efforts around maternal health. The AHA participates in AAMC’s Maternal Health External Work Group.
Since November 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) led several activities as part of its Rural Maternal Health Initiative to better understand rural maternal health disparities and improve access to high-quality maternal health services in rural communities. Report below provides a high-level summary.
March of Dimes Report Card grades the U.S. states, Puerto Rico and 100 cities on preterm birth rates, and includes other information such as infant death, social vulnerability, low-risk cesarean births, and state efforts on Medicaid expansion and extension, doula and midwives legislation/policies, among other factors and outlines important policy solutions that can make a difference.
Maternal Mortality Review Committees have been implemented at the state level and in hospitals as an important mortality and morbidity reduction strategy, tool and resources for maternal providers and clinicians.
Initiatives
Merck’s 10-year, $500 million initiative is focused on improving the health and well-being of mothers before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth. Merck for Mothers builds on their commitment to global health by implementing programs, partnerships and solutions so no woman dies giving life. More information on their program can be found on their site, including a special report on How Mobile Tech is Mobilizing Maternal Health.

The Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital provides state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders associated with female reproductive function including premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), pregnancy-associated mood disturbance, postpartum psychiatric illness, and peri- and post- menopausal depression. The Center identifies a shorter three-question screening tool – supported by a 2008 study.

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group, has introduced a new bundled payment program for maternity care to help support the well-being of moms and babies before and after delivery by closing gaps in care and encouraging healthy, full-term pregnancies. The new bundled payment program for maternity care has launched with two health care providers to help encourage more coordinated care and better health outcomes for expectant mothers enrolled in UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored health plans.
The Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns initiative is an effort by the Department of Health and Human Services, aimed to reduce preterm births and improve outcomes for newborns and pregnant women. This initiative was a joint effort between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Administration on Children and Families (ACF). Full results of the Strong Start evaluation, including a state-by-state assessment of outcomes, are available in the final evaluation report, accessible on their site.

HRSA’s Improving Maternal Health in America initiative aims to address U.S. maternal health issues by, improving maternal health data, increasing maternal health research, and prioritizing quality improvement in maternal health care services, among other approaches.
Leading Organizations
Founded in 2011, 2020 Mom is a non-profit organization focused on closing the gaps in maternal mental health. In its first 10 years, 2020 Mom surveyed and shared the national landscape, identified the complex barriers to care, convened multi-sector change agents, identified best practices, and led substantive state and federal policy work.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of 67,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is a professional membership organization dedicated to the improvement of women’s health. With more than 58,000 members, the College’s activities include producing practice guidelines and other educational material.
The Center for Health Journalism helps journalists investigate health challenges and solutions in their communities and serve as a catalyst for change. They have a Health Matters Webinar Series that highlights important topics in health care.
CWISH is a membership organization comprised of 14 hospitals, representing close to 126,000 deliveries annually. Member hospitals share greater financial and operational data to assist each other in providing better care for patients.

The Council brings partner and subspecialty organizations in women’s health care together with patients and representative industry organizations with the central goal of improving health care for all women, including focused effort on reduction of maternal morbidity.

The District of Columbia Primary Care Association (DCPDC)’s membership includes 15 community health centers and other community-based organizations, with nearly 60 health care delivery sites that serve approximately 1 out of 3 District residents.
- - This report shines a light on unmet reproductive and maternal health needs of low-income women living in the District of Columbia, and provides policymakers and providers with a Roadmap for Action containing a clear set of 12 actionable and costed initiatives that can be pursued to improve the health and well-being of women and their families.
In 2018, The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) was awarded a grant from Merck for Mothers to support a large-scale, three-year project to improve outcomes for women and babies in the U.S. and reduce inequities in maternal health. The goals are to "spread the use of evidence-based care practices to reduce complications such as hemorrhage, hypertension, and blood clots; deploy strategies to reduce inequities in maternal outcomes; and partner with women, their caregivers, health care providers, and community initiatives to better learn and address factors that improve health outcomes for mothers and newborns."
Co-led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services(CMS), Million Hearts® 2022 is a national initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes within 5 years.
Driven by data, collaboration and research, NPIC works with hospitals, patient safety organizations, insurers and researchers to collect and interpret the data that drives qualitative improvements for the health of mothers and newborns.

The purpose of Postpartum Support International is to increase awareness among public and professional communities about the emotional changes that women experience during pregnancy and postpartum. Approximately 15% of all women will experience postpartum depression following the birth of a child. Up to 10% will experience depression or anxiety during pregnancy. When the mental health of the mother is compromised, it affects the entire family. PSI has members throughout the world, including professional caregivers, public health professionals and researchers, students, parents, and community supporters. The site contains comprehensive information on the topic and screening recommendations.

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine is the premiere membership organization for maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialists. Representing the interests in nearly 3,000 physicians and MFM practice professionals, the Society provides education and engages in advocacy efforts to support the work of MFMs and optimize the health of high-risk pregnant women and their babies.