E1 - Cherished Futures for Black Moms and Babies: Centering Black Voices to Drive Systems Change

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Full Description: In Los Angeles County, Black babies and birthing people continue to disproportionately experience inequitable birth outcomes more than any other racial or ethnic group. Existing research points to racism as the root cause and warrants a systems-change approach to eliminate these inequities. Cherished Futures for Black Moms & Babies, a joint initiative of Communities Lifting Communities, the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, and the Hospital Association of Southern California—is a multi-sector collaborative working to reduce Black infant deaths and improve patient experience and safety for Black families in Los Angeles County.

Cherished Futures is guided by the data and grounded in Black women’s experiences, acknowledging the persistence of medical racism and honoring the legacy of resilience in the Black community. Decision-makers from high-volume hospitals develop actionable, community-informed implementation plans that advance birth equity in LA County. A Black woman-led team of community advisors guides hospitals through implementation, and yearly sister circles bring perinatal professionals, birth justice advocates, and community members together to reimagine clinical care in the region. Together, the collaborative co-designs systems-change strategies across three domains: clinical, institutional, and community.
Despite the pandemic, Cherished Futures successfully launched the pilot cohort with five hospital teams and drawing nearly 80 clinical, public health, payer, and community leaders to engage in a yearlong capacity-building process. The year concluded with 80% of teams completing actionable implementation plans, identifying strategies across each of the three domains.

This session will discuss the data-driven methodology to prioritize hospital participants, the Cherished Futures model of engagement to center Black women’s voices to inform change strategies and advance local systems change. Presenters will also discuss key lessons learned and recommendations for public health and MCH leaders to address racism’s insidious impacts on Black bodies and births.

Abbreviated Description: Cherished Futures for Black Moms & Babies, is a multi-sector collaborative working to reduce Black infant deaths and improve patient experience and safety for Black families in Los Angeles County. This session will discuss the data-driven methodology to prioritize hospital participants, the Cherished Futures model of engagement to center Black women’s voices to inform change strategies and advance local systems change. Presenters will also discuss key lessons learned and recommendations for public health and MCH leaders to address racism’s insidious impacts on Black bodies and births.