Address: 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246 Project Director: Christina Yebuah, Maternal Health Manager, Maternal Mortality Prevention Program Contact Phone Number: 303-489-1874 Email Address: christina.yebuah@state.co.us Website Address: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/mchcolorado Funding Requested: $5,000,000 PURPOSE: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in partnership with the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative (CPCQC), is proposing a project to build on and strengthen Colorado’s existing infrastructure to reduce maternal death and severe maternal morbidity (SMM); reduce disparities in maternal health outcomes; integrate health care, public health, and community solutions; and increase collaboration and data sharing among maternal health stakeholders. NEED: Recent state laws and initiatives demonstrate that maternal health is a priority in Colorado. However, gaps remain in the state’s ability to accurately assess and address disparities and improve outcomes. MMRC data for 2014–2018 showed that the pregnancy-associated mortality ratio was disproportionately high for Native Americans and the pregnancy-related mortality ratio was higher than average for Black Coloradans. Discrimination was found to be a contributing factor in 39.6% of all maternal deaths since 2017. Medical and behavioral maternal health services continue to be difficult to access in Colorado’s rural areas and for certain groups, including Black and Indigenous people. Community voices and services are missing from maternal care models, a missed opportunity to improve services and outcomes. By improving infrastructure and coordination, Colorado can make better use of its resources to achieve efficiencies and better outcomes at an accelerated rate of change. POPULATION: The intended population for this proposed project is pregnant and postpartum people in Colorado, with a focus on nonurban Coloradans and Black, Indigenous, and people of
color who are pregnant or postpartum. METHODOLOGY: The project will use these methods: --Establish a state Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF). Colorado will form a MHTF, drawing from a base of existing partnerships and expanding to include partners not yet represented, to create a strategic plan and guide the work. --Improve state-level maternal health data and surveillance. Colorado will add key informant interviews to the maternal mortality review process, leverage existing surveys for insight into SMM, and identify new sources of data, such as the social-health information exchange and community organizations. Colorado will also improve the collection and analysis of demographic data to accurately assess maternal health disparities. --Improve the collection, reporting, and analysis of AIM data. Colorado will continue submitting quarterly AIM data for its two implemented maternal safety bundles, increase the data capacity of AIM-participating facilities through better EHR integration, and improve data tools and analysis capacity for the CPCQC. --Promote and execute innovation in maternal health service delivery. Colorado will increase the number of birthing facilities that have implemented at least one core AIM bundle and will add a third bundle during the grant period. We will leverage Colorado’s existing telehealth initiatives and telehealth-friendly policy environment by connecting more maternal health providers and consumers to these efforts. Colorado will increase the number of culturally competent maternal health providers who can identify and address preventable maternal health risks by offering both clinical and cultural competence trainings, and improve maternal health services by funding community-led solutions that serve nonurban areas and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.