What’s happening: On March 4, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is hosting a webinar from 3-4:30 p.m. (PT) to discuss the Birthing Care Pathway, a comprehensive policy and care model roadmap to address racial and ethnic disparities throughout the journey of pregnant and postpartum Medi-Cal members — from conception through 12 months postpartum. Registration is open.
What else to know: The goals of the roadmap are to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and address these significant disparities in maternal health outcomes among Medi-Cal members who are Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander.
Attendees will hear from DHCS leaders about:
- The Birthing Care Pathway’s goals
- A comprehensive overview of the policies DHCS is implementing
- A summary of strategic opportunities for further exploration
- How the Transforming Maternal Health Model will complement and bolster DHCS’ work to strengthen California’s health care delivery system, improve maternal health outcomes, and reduce disparities
On Feb. 4, DHCS released the Birthing Care Pathway Report, which includes a series of policy solutions and strategic opportunities that aim to address the physical, behavioral, and health-related social needs of pregnant and postpartum members. These policy solutions and strategic opportunities were developed based off feedback from a diverse range of partners. An executive summary is available.
A new report from CHA, Maternity Care in California: An Environmental Scan, centers on one aspect of access to maternity services: factors driving the decline in hospital-based labor and delivery unit availability.
Contact BirthingCarePathway@dhcs.ca.gov with any questions about the March 4 webinar or Birthing Care Pathway Report.
Contact Peggy Wheeler, vice president, policy, with any questions about the CHA report.
