Shifting the Paradigm: Addressing Maternal Health Disparities Through Transformational Community Engagement

The US is facing a maternal mortality crisis with prominent disparities observed among racial/ethnic minority groups. In New York City (NYC), Black women are six times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes and have higher rates of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) compared to White women. The underlying drivers of adverse perinatal and maternal health outcomes are characterized by systemic, community, and individual level determinants. Given the complex interplay of factors involved, it underscores the need for a unique and tailored approach to address maternal health disparities. Here we will discuss our approach to implementing a transformational model of community engagement by establishing an equitable community-academic partnership aimed at identifying and addressing the underlying drivers of adverse maternal health outcomes in Central Brooklyn, NY. Guided by the tenets of the CDC's principle of community engagement and evaluated by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Assessing Meaningful Community Engagement (ACE) conceptual model, our community-centered approach culminated in the establishment of a sustainable women's health community advisory board (CAB) committed to improving maternal and women's health, and serves as a successful case study that can be modeled in other similar urban settings.