Maternal Health Network of San Bernardino County Consumer Survey 2021

Overview: An exploration of (1) Race as a risk factor for quality of prenatal care received during pregnancy, (2) the need for health equity practices for Black pregnant women and (3) access to quality healthcare for pregnant Black women in San Bernardino County.Proposal text: Access to maternal health services is vital to mothers and families who are planning to get pregnant, are pregnant or have delivered a baby. San Bernardino County is a very diverse community with many families who lack knowledge and resources needed to thrive during the maternal period. The county is home to many marginalized populations with significant need for access to quality healthcare, resources and support. Many families are living below the poverty line with little to no knowledge of how to seek services to help them improve their overall health as well as the well-being of their babies. For example, Black pregnant women are 3-4 x’s more likely to die from a childbirth complication. Additionally, Black infants are 2-3x’s more likely to me born prematurely with low birth weight (CDC, 2017). Furthermore, Black infants are more likely to die within their first year of birth when compared to any other Races (CDC, 2017). Adequate education, resources and support are promising interventions that could reduce these birth outcomes. Increasing equity in maternal health outcomes and experiences, specifically amongst Black and African American families, is one of the five goals that drive the MHN’s 2020-2025 strategic plan. In summer 2021 the Perinatal Equity Initiative (PEI) identified the opportunity to support this goal by utilizing the 2020-21 consumer survey responses to gain a better understanding of the experiences specifically of Black and African American participants within the maternal health system. The oral presentation will discuss the results of key areas of inquiry using the responses only of survey participants that identified as Black or African American. The areas of inquiry were identified by PEI and Black Infant Health San Bernardino County as relevant to future organizational decision-making and service delivery. Therefore, this study was conducted using availability and convenience sampling of English and Spanish speaking individuals who were pregnant or who recently delivered a baby in San Bernardino County. The sample size was 253 individuals. Data will be collected from August 2020 to February 2021. Data will be collected from multiple sites including Arrowhead Regional Medical Centers, St. Bernardine’s Medical Center and SB County Department of Public Health WIC offices. Inclusion criteria for the intervention include: (1) English and Spanish speaking (2) 18 years of age or older; (3) Pregnant (4) Postpartum women. Exclusion criteria includes all teen mothers. The aims of the study included (1) What are some of the barriers to accessing services reported by Black and African American families in San Bernardino County? (2) What are some of the risk factors reported by Black and African American families in San Bernardino County? (3) What do Black and African American consumers identify as opportunities to improve quality of care within the maternal health system in San Bernardino County? Attendees will gain insights into social work study design methods, community/university partnership in research and gain increase knowledge of social justice and health equity concerns for Black women.