Development of a Community- and Patient-Engaged Maternal Health Equity Toolkit for Hospitals

Inequities in maternal health outcomes are persistent, widespread, and unacceptable. Despite growing awareness that health care organizations play a critical role in addressing the maternal health crisis and eliminating racial inequities in outcomes, hospitals report barriers and limitations in implementing policy changes. We developed a Maternal Health Equity Toolkit and provided hospital maternal care units and departments with a comprehensive systems-level approach to advance health equity. The toolkit offers hospitals access to curated guidance from leading professional, quality and safety, and advocacy organizations. Detailed action steps for operationalizing change ideas are included. This article describes the development process and the final toolkit structure and content.