Maternal well being in Higher Washington — and particularly in Washington, D.C. — is in disaster, and ignoring it comes at a value our area can’t afford.
For too many households, being pregnant and childbirth include dangers which have little to do with medical care alone. The place somebody lives, whether or not they can get to appointments, whether or not they have steady housing, sufficient meals, dependable transportation or help after supply typically matter simply as a lot because the care they obtain whereas giving delivery. When these wants go unmet, the implications prolong far past the supply room, affecting households and communities throughout the area.
It’s value asking a easy query: what would it not appear to be if we handled maternal well being as one thing we defend collectively? And simply as importantly, what occurs if we don’t?
These questions are on the coronary heart of a $2.2 million funding to enhance maternal well being outcomes within the area. Funded largely by a $1.4 million dedication from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield by the Higher Washington Group Basis’s Creating Households Maternal Well being Fund, the funding helps 11 nonprofit organizations working every single day to help mother and father and infants throughout the District and Higher Washington. It displays a shared perception that maternal well being requires sustained, community-based funding.
The Creating Households Maternal Well being Fund, managed by the Higher Washington Group Basis, invests in community-based organizations primarily inside Wards 5, 7, and eight, the place girls of shade proceed to face greater boundaries to reasonably priced, high-quality maternal care. The fund highlights an pressing want in D.C., the place Black girls account for 90% of all pregnancy-related deaths.
As a not-for-profit healthcare group primarily based in D.C., CareFirst is a part of the area’s ecosystem that shapes well being. The Higher Washington Group Basis has been the area’s philanthropic chief for greater than 50 years, partnering with donors to spend money on probably the most vital wants going through our communities. Collectively, we’re working to construct a maternal well being system that facilities the communities most affected by this disaster. We all know that being pregnant outcomes are decided properly earlier than the primary prenatal go to and lengthy after delivery. When that actuality is ignored, households pay the value and the results are felt throughout our area.
The necessity is obvious. America has the best maternal mortality charge amongst developed nations. The 2025 March of Dimes Report Card exhibits that the District of Columbia’s maternal mortality charge is 28.2, greater than the nationwide common of 23.5. The racial and wealth hole can also be seen. Black moms in D.C. skilled a preterm delivery charge of 14.5%, whereas these lined by Medicaid noticed a charge of 14.7%, the best inside their respective classes. Total, the District ranks forty fifth out of 52 jurisdictions — together with all states, D.C., and Puerto Rico — for preterm delivery, with a charge of 11.8%.
That is unacceptable.
The numbers mirror on a regular basis realities for households. They’re balancing being pregnant with work, retaining monitor of appointments, arranging childcare, studying the way to be first-time mother and father, managing break day and determining the way to get better after delivery with out falling behind financially. These challenges don’t resolve themselves with out intention and funding.
Enhancing maternal well being outcomes requires greater than scientific care alone. It means addressing the social drivers of well being that form whether or not households can entry care and afford it. When these drivers are ignored, the results ripple outward, resulting in missed work, delayed restoration and long-term well being points.
CareFirst has invested in maternal well being throughout the area for greater than a decade, supporting prenatal and postpartum care, residence visits, doula providers and psychological well being help within the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia. The Higher Washington Group Basis has equally targeted on advancing well being fairness by strategic grantmaking and partnerships with community-based organizations. These efforts mirror a easy reality: well being begins in houses and communities, not simply medical doctors’ workplaces.
The newest spherical of grants is an extension of this long-term dedication. Quite than launching new applications, the funding strengthens organizations already doing the work. Mamatoto Village presents home-based take care of pregnant and postpartum households. SheRises, Inc. focuses on postpartum steering for younger Black and Latina moms. The Wholesome Infants Challenge works with younger mother and father experiencing homelessness. Whitman-Walker offers take care of pregnant individuals dwelling with HIV.
Collectively, these efforts mirror a shared deal with assembly households the place they’re.
Maternal well being isn’t a distinct segment subject. It’s a group subject. It’s a measure of whether or not a area values the individuals who reside there. And proper now, maternal well being is in disaster.
If we wish a wholesome, steady area and stronger households, funding in maternal well being can’t be non-obligatory in D.C.
Dr. Bryan O. Buckley is head of public well being and group affect at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. Dr. Marla Dean is senior director for well being fairness on the Higher Washington Group Basis.
