Initiatives

New York State Birth Equity Improvement Project

Assists birthing facilities in New York State in identifying how individual and systemic racism impacts birth outcomes at their organizations and taking action to improve both the experience of care and perinatal outcomes for Black birthing people in the communities they serve.

Status: Active

April 2023 to March 2024

Who: Birthing hospitals and community-based organizations across New York State.
Funder: The project is funded by The New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative (NYSPQC), which is an initiative led by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Division of Family Health (DFH).
Our Role: NICHQ works closely with NYSDOH and clinical and quality improvement experts to assist the NYSPQC in their support of birthing facilities to: identify how individual and systemic racism impacts birth outcomes at their organizations; and take action to improve both the experience of care and perinatal outcomes for Black birthing people in the communities they serve.

If you are interested in learning more about this project, visit the NYSPQC page or email: [email protected]

Pregnant woman with mask at doctors office

Related Resources

Respectful Care Commitments Poster

Health care providers, public health professionals, community-based organizations, and other health care professionals can share this poster developed by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to illustrate their respectful care commitments to every birthing person in their facilities.

Download the poster

COVID-19 and Pregnancy Poster

Health care providers, public health professionals, community-based organizations, and other health care professionals can share this poster developed by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to address common questions mothers and birthing people may have about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant.

Download the poster

COVID-19 and Pregnancy Brochure

This helpful brochure developed by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) provides families with useful information about the COVID-19 vaccine and how women and birthing people can protect themselves, their families, and their babies by getting vaccinated.

Download the brochure (Translated versions)

Related Resources and Insights

Taking on a Leading Cause of Maternal Death: Improving Postpartum Hemorrhage Care

New York State is testing a set of evidence-based strategies that hospitals can implement to improve postpartum hemorrhage care. Here, Peter Cherouny, MD, a clinical advisor for the project, offers insight and initial findings on three areas those strategies seek to improve.

A Mother-Centered Approach to Treating Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

A mother-centered approach to caring for NAS may reduce the need for drug treatment and length of hospital stays. Here, Matthew Grossman, MD, one of the authors of the approach, expands on its benefits for improving infant health outcomes.

Neonatologist Shares Successful Strategies for Improving Infant Health Outcomes

Babies born in the United States have a higher chance of death than babies born in more than 50 other countries in the world. Harnessing lessons-learned from successful improvement initiatives can help hospitals and state health systems address this alarming statistic. Here, pioneer for improvement Deborah Campbell, MD, FAAP, shares strategies and lessons-learned from three successful improvement efforts: improving nutrition protocols for preterm infants; spreading safe sleep messages to reduce infant deaths; and testing strategies to lower rates of maternal hemorrhage, and related mortality and morbidity.

Recent Legislation that Supports Better Children’s Health Outcomes

In recent months, there has been a surge of legislative actions for children’s health advocates. New laws have been passed that provide funding for programs and research initiatives essential for improving the health and well-being of children and families across the country. Here, NICHQ provides an update on the legislation and brief analysis on the impact on children’s health.

Make Perinatal Regionalization Work for Your State

Perinatal regionalization can improve health outcomes for mothers and babies, creating a stronger system of care. But communication and process barriers can get in the way. Here, Dr. Christopher Glantz, MD, MPH, provides strategies for developing a regionalization system that empowers affiliate hospitals as true partners in collaboration.