ATLANTA — Several Georgia organizations will be receiving federal funds to improve maternal and infant health in the Peach State, according to a news release.
“Maternal health is a fundamental human right, and every mother deserves access to quality care and support. Having a safe and healthy pregnancy and birth shouldn’t depend on the color of your skin, what language you speak at home, or where you live,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Each organization will receive a little over $1 million, totaling around $6 million. The funding was announced on Monday at an event in part of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration's Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative tour.
The organizations receiving funds are: Center for Black Women's Wellness, Georgia State University Research Foundation, Southside Medical Center, Laurens County Board of Health, The Corporation of Mercer University and Wellstar Health System.
Georgia's federal funding is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Healthy Start funding program. The administration invested $105 million in community-based organizations focused on maternal health.
11Alive spoke with U.S. Health Resources and Services Administrator Carole Johnson shortly after the announcement. She explained how the program would help mothers after they gave birth.
"The ability to really support not just the clinical needs of pregnant women and new moms, but also making sure you know when they need diapers, when they need transportation to visit, when they need support in get applying for housing that we're there for them and can be able to provide all of that support," said Johnson.
The program looks to focus on tailoring to the community needs of new mothers and support clinical services provided like nutritionists, doulas, social workers and others.
At Monday's event, some women who have had experiences in the maternal healthcare industry shared their stories.
"So we had a number of women, tell their stories of their experiences in pregnancy, and what worked and what was challenging so that that can inform our policymaking going forward. And because the president has charged us with pulling all policy and funding levers to support this work," said Johnson.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also invests in helping fund training and loan repayment for the next generation of maternal health care services in rural areas, runs the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, and more.
"Our goal is to make the United States the safest place to have a baby. And, you know, it's important that community after community partners with us in that work," Johnson added.
11Alive has been investigating the maternal death rates for women in our state for years. Our multipart series Mothers Matter highlighted families whose experiences match this data and who are hopeful something in our state will change.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Black women are three to four times more at risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes than any other race. Get exclusive content from 11Alive's Mothers Matters series here.