Rhode Island Community-based Maternal Support Services (RI COMSS) Bundle for Advancing Perinatal Health Equity
Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
Summary
The purpose of this project is to improve perinatal health outcomes in Rhode Island by bringing together the hospital, community health workers (CHWs), doulas, and community-based organizations to build a service delivery model that addresses care coordination and social determinants of health (SDOH) as a part of a concerted effort towards achieving equitable perinatal health outcomes. Over 4 years, the hospital-led project team will implement the community-based maternal support services (COMSS) bundle in 6 affiliated clinics, including care coordination, doula care, and referrals and linkages to community-based organizations that address key SDOH (food, housing, transportation). Maternal and infant health outcomes will be compared pre and post program implementation. The central hypothesis is that COMSS will reduce adverse maternal and infant outcomes and associated racial disparities.
Description
Despite a decreasing global trend, maternal mortality (MM) and severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in the United States continue to increase. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have disproportionately higher rates of MM. The causes of SMM/MM and the associated disparities are complex and multidimensional, but there is increasing awareness of the important role of social determinants of health (SDOH) - the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age - on perinatal outcomes. Addressing perinatal health disparities requires a multipronged approach targeting not only the…