Black Maternal Health: Reducing Inequities Through Community Collaboration

​Seeking to improve outcomes for all people who birth in the United States and their babies and to reduce the stark inequities in maternal health, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) engaged in a three-year (April 2018 to October 2021), large-scale project called Better Maternal Outcomes, funded with generous support from Merck for Mothers.

As part of the work of Better Maternal Outcomes, the Redesigning Systems with Black Women project aimed to facilitate locally-driven, co-designed, rapid improvements in four US communities — Atlanta, Detroit, New Orleans, and Washington, DC — targeting the interface of health care delivery, the experience of Black people who birth, and community support systems. The initiative aimed to improve equity, dignity, and safety while reducing racial inequities in maternal outcomes for Black people who birth.

• Guiding Principles for Improving Black Maternal Health Through Community Collaboration: Eight guiding principles contributed to the success of the four communities participating in the Better Maternal Outcomes: Redesigning Systems with Black Women project. This report describes the eight principles, shares the communities' experiences, identifies key themes, and provides recommendations for others seeking to engage in this work.
• Black Maternal Health: Reducing Inequities Through Community Collaboration — in Atlanta, Detroit, New Orleans, and Washington, DC: These four reports describe the experience of the four communities participating in the Better Maternal Outcomes: Redesigning Systems with Black Women project, to improve outcomes and reduce racial inequities in maternal outcomes for Black people who birth.