HMA New York colleagues Heidi Arthur and Annalisa Baker played a pivotal role in launching a forum for the Brooklyn Perinatal Network on Jan. 11.
The forum, entitled, “A Community Response to Addressing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality,” was a collaboration between a network of community-based organizations (CBOs) making up the Brooklyn Coalition for the Health Equity for Women and Families Coalition Leadership Team.
The goal was to solicit stakeholder support and funding for an upgraded approach to addressing maternal-child health (MCH) challenges, including the high rates of maternal mortality experienced in Brooklyn.
Despite providing vital support and deep connections to the communities they serve, the small CBOs, who provide direct services, have always received dangerously inadequate support for their work. This forum was an opportunity to engage the commitment of key stakeholders to this cause and present an evidence-based pilot approach – the Pathways HUB model – that can have a positive impact on MCH outcomes in Brooklyn.
Annalisa Baker developed and presented on behalf of Ngozi Moses, executive director of Brooklyn Perinatal Network, to deliver the welcome message and “Call to Attention.”
Heidi Arthur presented the Pathways HUB model as an evidence-based structure that provides a standardized approach to intensive outreach and engagement, risk assessments and pay-for-performance metrics to target access to social determinants of health for specific populations. She presented this model alongside Mark Redding, the model’s co-founder.
Additional stakeholders who addressed the audience with calls to action included Brooklyn Borough President, Honorable Eric L. Adams; Assembly Member Tremaine Wright, Assembly District 6; Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Council District 6 and chair for the Committee on Women; Commissioner NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dr. Oxiris Barbot. The keynote speaker was Joia Adele Crear-Perry, MD, FACOG, founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative.
Their statements spurred resounding applause and standing ovations, as they inspired audience members with their commitments to incorporate MCH initiatives into the state budget process, spearhead MCH workshops and support public advocacy for funding a Pathways HUB pilot.
Already, as a result of this forum, there has been interest from the NYS Department of Health, and NYC’s Citizen’s Committee for Children to explore this model further for implementation and funding opportunities.
To learn more about the program and how the Pathways HUB model can help partners and community organizations succeed, click here and contact Annalisa Baker [email protected] or Heidi Arthur [email protected].