The Burke Foundation’s Executive Director Atiya Weiss recently published an on NJ.com on recommendations to address NJ’s maternal mortality crisis.
Weiss highlighted that 4 of every 5 maternal health dollars are spent in the 24-48 hours surrounding a baby’s birth. Investing some of those dollars earlier in pregnancy through initiatives such as group-based Centering, community doulas, and midwives would go a long way in improving positive health outcomes for mothers and babies. This kind of prenatal care and support that provides early intervention for pregnancy-related health conditions also reduces postpartum care costs.
Sharing results from programs funded by the Burke Foundation, Weiss showed the positive outcomes of Centering and doula work including significant reductions in pre-term births and increases in breastfeeding rates.
But there’s much more still to do. Weiss advocated for growth and sustainability in the perinatal workforce, promoting better pathways for women of color to begin working as midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, home visiting nurses, and community health workers, and pushing for better compensation for perinatal workers.
Weiss points out: ”Beyond improving health, these changes have strong economic benefits. We spend more on maternity and newborn healthcare than on any other area of health care. Reducing health conditions caused or worsened by pregnancy would reduce costs at the same time they give mothers and newborns their best chance to thrive.”
To learn about the progress already happening in New Jersey to change the narrative for families, click here.