Optum Awards $1.4 Million in Maternal Health Grants to Five Community Organizations
June 30 2021 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Grants will support programs that address
maternal health outcome disparities, access to health care services
and intimate partner violence.
Optum, a leading health services company and part of
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), has awarded $1.4 million in
maternal health grants and will provide pro bono services to five
community organizations aimed at improving maternal health outcomes
and increasing health care access for underserved populations.
“Optum is committed to addressing the nation’s maternal health
crisis, which is having a significant impact on underserved and
vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Janice Huckaby, chief medical
officer, Maternal-Child Health, Optum. “By partnering with
organizations deeply rooted in the communities they serve, we help
improve the health of mothers and newborns and raise awareness
about the importance of maternal health and racial disparities in
health care.”
The five community organizations awarded grants include:
- Community of Hope – based in Washington, D.C.; $500,000 to
serve more pregnant women – primarily persons of color and
low-income – in their comprehensive, community-centered maternal
and infant health program.
- Wake Forest Baptist Health – based in Winston Salem, North
Carolina; $200,000 to create a program that will identify, in
clinics and upon hospital admission, pregnant women suffering from
intimate partner violence, to provide support and resources.
- Cradle Cincinnati – based in Cincinnati, Ohio; $400,000 to
reduce preterm births among Black women by expanding Cradle
Cincinnati’s infant mortality reduction strategy to other cities in
the United States.
- Ladies of Hope Ministries (LOHM) – based in New York City;
$200,000 to provide doula training, certification and birth support
for current and formerly incarcerated pregnant women.
- Morehouse School of Medicine – based in Atlanta; $95,000 to
support research to gain a better understanding of “Maternal Near
Miss (MNM)” among Black women. A MNM is when a woman nearly dies,
but survives, from a complication during pregnancy or childbirth,
or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy. The study will
recruit and interview 120 women who represent underserved markets
including Georgia, Louisiana, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
“We’re grateful for the support of Optum and their belief in our
bold and necessary vision to provide high-quality, culturally
competent support to currently and previously incarcerated women
that will meet the unique needs to address the inequities faced in
their experiences with menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and
postpartum care,” said Topeka K. Sam, founder and executive
director of the LOHM, and period equity advocate.
“Community of Hope is thrilled to partner with Optum on our
comprehensive maternal and child health programs serving families
in under-resourced neighborhoods of Washington, D.C.,” said Kelly
Sweeney McShane, president and CEO of Community of Hope. “Optum’s
support allows us to provide direct services, dig deeper on the
impact of our approach, develop strategies to ensure financially
sustainable funding, and communicate our approach so that others
may replicate across the nation as needed.”
“We are excited about this partnership with Optum to lift up and
center Black and other women of color to share their stories about
Maternal Near Miss events,” said Natalie Hernandez, Ph.D., interim
director, Center for Maternal Health Equity Morehouse School of
Medicine. “Understanding the needs of women who have had these
experiences is the key to reducing their burden, advancing maternal
health equity and addressing maternal mortality.”
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of all
developed countries and is the only industrialized nation with a
rising rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 60% of pregnancy-related deaths are thought to be
preventable, and patients of color face the greatest risk of death
and complication. Multiple factors contribute to these disparities,
including variation in quality health care, underlying chronic
conditions, structural racism and implicit bias.
These grants are part of several initiatives by Optum and its
parent company, UnitedHealth Group, to address maternal health
outcomes and disparities across the United States, including a $3
million contribution to help improve access to prenatal care in
underserved communities in New York and a $2.6 million grant in
Nevada to reduce maternal health disparities and help grow the
state’s OB-GYN and family medicine physician workforce. To date,
UnitedHealth Group has provided more than $11 million in
philanthropic grants to support maternal health. Optum’s goal is to
build a fully connected health system that works for everyone,
creating a world where every person has the opportunity to reach
their full health potential.
About Optum
Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health
services business dedicated to helping make the health system work
better for everyone. With more than 190,000 people worldwide, Optum
delivers intelligent, integrated solutions that help to modernize
the health system and improve overall population health. Optum is
part of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH). For more information, visit
www.optum.com.
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Brad Lotterman 714-445-0453 Brad.lotterman@optum.com
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