Goldin Evans Melissa, Wallace Maeve, Bazzano Alessandra N, Biggio Joseph R, Cruz Kiara, Gamble Abigail, Green Carmen, Jah Zainab, Longo Sherri, Perez Susan, Reed Rachael N, Shaffer Jeffrey G, Shi Lizheng, Harville Emily
Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Women's Service Line, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Front Public Health. 2024 Dec 23;12:1465779. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1465779. eCollection 2024.
The maternal mortality crisis in the United States disproportionately affects women who are Black, especially those living in the Gulf South. These disparities result from a confluence of healthcare, policy, and social factors that systematically place Black women at greater risk of maternal morbidities and mortality. This study protocol describes the Southern Center for Maternal Health Equity (SCMHE), a research center funded by the National Institutes of Health in 2023 to reduce preventable causes of maternal morbidity and mortality while improving health equity. This is a seven year program with pilot and implementation phases. SCMHE is co-led by three organizations: Reproductive Health Impact (a fiscally sponsored project of the Praxis Project), an advocacy community-based organization; Tulane University, an academic research institute; and Ochsner Health, a large regional nonprofit health system.
SCMHE applies a multilevel life course approach based on the Social Ecological Model to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality with interventions at individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and societal levels. This community-focused research center uses an intersectional lens and the Reproductive Justice framework in its aims to improve maternal health and strengthen community-based maternal health research capacity in Louisiana and Mississippi.
To advance the field of maternal health using participatory, community-centered, and radically equity-focused approaches previously underutilized and under-evaluated, the Center will lead three R01 projects to assess the implementation of existing evidence-based strategies and build the evidence base for translational research strategies.
By leveraging our team's existing network with local, regional, and national partners while continuing to build new, unique interdisciplinary partnerships, we will build upon our distinctive interdisciplinary strengths and community connections to bring our outreach and technical assistance efforts to diverse audiences.
美国的孕产妇死亡危机对黑人女性的影响尤为严重，特别是那些生活在墨西哥湾南部地区的黑人女性。这些差异源于医疗保健、政策和社会因素的共同作用，这些因素系统性地使黑人女性面临更高的孕产妇发病和死亡风险。本研究方案介绍了南方孕产妇健康公平中心（SCMHE），该研究中心于2023年由美国国立卫生研究院资助，旨在减少可预防的孕产妇发病和死亡原因，同时改善健康公平。这是一个为期七年的项目，包括试点阶段和实施阶段。SCMHE由三个组织共同领导：生殖健康影响组织（普拉西斯项目的一个财政赞助项目），一个基于社区的倡导组织；杜兰大学，一所学术研究机构；以及奥克施纳健康中心，一个大型的地区性非营利性医疗系统。
SCMHE采用基于社会生态模型的多层次生命历程方法，通过在个人、人际、机构、社区和社会层面的干预措施来预防孕产妇发病和死亡。这个以社区为重点的研究中心使用交叉视角和生殖正义框架，旨在改善路易斯安那州和密西西比州的孕产妇健康，并加强基于社区的孕产妇健康研究能力。
为了以前所未有的参与性、以社区为中心和高度关注公平的方法推进孕产妇健康领域，该中心将牵头开展三个R01项目，以评估现有循证策略的实施情况，并为转化研究策略建立证据基础。
通过利用我们团队与地方、区域和国家合作伙伴的现有网络，同时继续建立新的、独特的跨学科合作伙伴关系，我们将凭借我们独特的跨学科优势和社区联系，将我们的推广和技术援助工作推向不同的受众。
