Maternal Health

Get United for Healthy Pregnancies

Maternal mortality rates in Tarrant County are significantly higher than national averages. Our public health area has the second-highest maternal mortality rate among Black women in Texas, and those living in zip code 76104 have the lowest life expectancy and the worst health disparities in the state. Yet many of these deaths are preventable.

Many factors contribute to this, including mothers—regardless of socioeconomic status—not having access to medical care provided by those with culturally appropriate services or the failure to establish trust between medical providers and the mothers. But we’re working to change that.

Through our Maternal Health initiative, we’re training hospital staff and community-based doulas to ensure that the most at-risk moms are seen and heard. The program is supported with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds administered by Tarrant County.

TEXAS IS ONE OF THE TOP TEN STATES IN THE NATION FOR MATERNAL MORTALITY*

*2022 Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee and Department of State Health Services Joint Biennial Report

OUR IMPACT

We’re training 120 community-based women and 30 hospital staff to be doulas.These doulas, already embedded in the community, have similar shared life experiences with the mothers they serve. Doula services include educating expectant mothers during pregnancy, coaching them through labor and providing a helping hand at home postpartum. Our partner in this project is Trust Her.

Our maternal health doula program:

Serves women from early pregnancy to the months following childbirth
Focuses on women and families of color in zip code 76104
Builds trust between the community and medical providers within hospital systems
Leads to healthier outcomes for the mothers and their babies

Additionally, United Way of Tarrant County is part of the Tarrant County Maternal & Infant Health Coalition, a group of local health care leaders and community providers committed to ensuring the health and survival of mothers and infants. The work of this coalition includes increasing access to care for families, improving navigation of resources for mothers and their children, and developing a data system to track health outcomes before, during and after birth. For more information on the state of maternal and infant health in Texas, check out the Texas Maternal Morbidity Review Committee’s 2022 Report.