Henry Ford Health announces new partnership to reduce preterm births among Black women

DETROIT (May 19, 2023) - Henry Ford Health is proud to announce it has been awarded funding for the next phase of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities' Black Birthing Initiative. The Black Birthing Initiative (BBI) aims to reduce high rates of preterm births among Black women in three cities: Detroit, Atlanta and Cleveland. It identifies stressors and other health-related social needs leading to increased risk of preterm births and works with community-based organizations to provide interventions.

The urgency cannot be understated: Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes in the U.S. and 50% more likely to deliver a premature baby, according to the CDC. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) also disproportionately affects Black babies, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Almost two-thirds of pregnancy deaths are preventable, the CDC reports. This collaborative project will create a framework and interventions that can improve outcomes for mothers and babies on a national scale.

"WIN (Women-Inspired Neighborhood) Network: Detroit is honored to partner with Creating Healthier Communities in the Black Birthing Initiative to reach our shared goal of ensuring Black mothers, babies, and families thrive," said Kimberlydawn Wisdom, M.D., Senior Vice President of Community Health & Equity at Henry Ford Health, and co-founder of WIN Network. "I've seen throughout my career just how vital collaboration is to move the needle on equity. This opportunity not only allows us to collaborate locally with the Detroit Health Department, but also at the national level with other Black Birthing Initiative members to grow the evidence base for the life-saving impact that tailored, culturally relevant, SDOH-focused perinatal care has on Black maternal and infant health."

Henry Ford Health's WIN Network: Detroit was originally established from a collaborative effort of health systems, community, and academic partners of the Detroit Regional Infant Mortality Reduction Task Force, supported by funders committed to improving infant mortality rates for Black Detroit families. Henry Ford's Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) partnered with WIN Network's Community Health Workers (CHW) as co-facilitators to provide an enhanced model of group prenatal care. Built using the CenteringPregnancy® model as the core curriculum, WIN Network developed a more enhanced and tailored approach to serve a population of at-risk, largely Medicaid-eligible Black women, ages 18-45, and addresses social determinants of health.

Henry Ford Health and the Detroit Health Department (DHD) have a long history of collaboration, with one of the most impactful examples being in maternal and child health. The DHD will spearhead fatherhood engagement for BBI participants, while improving knowledge and skills, social, mental, and economic supports for participating fathers. Likewise, a longstanding partnership with the Black Mother's Breastfeeding Association, that is now leading doula training and advocacy work in Detroit, along with the evaluation support of JFM Consulting, will help drive our collective impact in improving equitable birth and maternal outcomes across the city.

As community partners of the BBI, the organizations will play a key role in helping CHC create an evidence-based case study with a standardized screening tool and interventions that will later be leveraged by health systems nationwide. The BBI is a three-year, $7 million grant partnership that is nationally supported by the Elevance Health Foundation.WIN Network: Detroit is receiving about $1.3 million of that grant.

"As we join with others to observe Black Maternal Health Week and National Minority Health Month, we must also continue our collective work to ensure the voices and choices of Black people remain front and center every week of the year and are an integral consideration in every discussion and funding decision that relates to addressing health inequities," said Valerie Rochester, chief health equity officer at CHC.

Learn more about CHC's Black Birthing Initiative here for pregnant or postpartum women to lend their voice and take the needs assessment here to inform this work.

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