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We are the Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center, a network of maternal health equity experts and organizations working to make real change for women and birthing people in the U.S.
Our podcast is a series of episodes connecting around culture, lifting voices and stories, exploring innovations in maternal care and discussing ways we can center equity in the way we approach our health and wellness.
Learn more about us, explore our resource center and find support for all maternal health professionals at MaternalHealthLearning.org.
For more podcast information and content, visit MaternalHealthPodcast.org.
Dorothy - 00:00:03:
Welcome to the Maternal Health Innovation Podcast, Season 4. I'm your host, Dorothy Cilenti, Professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and Director of the National Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center. On this podcast, we will listen to maternal health innovators about ways we can implement change to improve maternal health in the United States. Be sure you're subscribed. In today's episode, I'm talking with Lindsey Yates and Natalie Hernandez, editors of the third edition of The Practical Playbook. A collaborative guide addressing maternal health disparities, particularly affecting BIPOC communities in the United States. It offers practical tools, strategies, and real-world examples to empower stakeholders to improve maternal health outcomes through multi-sector collaborations. Today, we'll discuss the process of pulling the book together, we'll share hidden gems, and we'll talk about why this body of work matters. Thanks for joining me, Lindsey and Natalie. I have a few questions to get us started. Lindsey, can you share insights into the process of collaboration where we brought together contributors from various backgrounds and sectors?
Lindsey - 00:01:25:
Yeah, thanks, Dorothy. And really excited to be here with you and Natalie today. The process for really gathering and bringing together all of these fantastic collaborators and authors on the book started way before I even had a chance to come into the project. And so I just want to give a special thanks to Ariel Lewis. I think that's her last name on all of her great work that she did leading up to this fantastic book. So that process really involved also all of our editors that were brought together to do some fantastic identification of folks that they already knew that were in the field that were doing work, as well as some of Ariel's work of identifying new and upcoming individuals who were innovating and thinking about specific topics that we were really interested in. I do not remember how many folks we identified. I believe there were more than 200 or 300 names on a list at one point. We finally were able to kind of narrow that down to more than 100, 150 folks that we actually ended up collaborating with and that were authors and contributed to the playbook in some way. But part of that identification process was thinking about the specific topics that we were talking about in the book. So the book is divided into these various sections. So who could really contribute to and think about the specific topics under those subheadings under the book? And then what were the things that we wanted them to talk about so that we had an array of perspectives and expertise that were valued in the book? So, for example, you know, we might be talking in one chapter in Natalie's section about equity. And there was a focus not only on just thinking about racial equity, right? But also thinking about environmental justice and having an author that could speak to that. Versus even, Dorothy, in your section, you know, thinking about collaboration and working with folks from California who could speak to collaboration. So it really was thinking about the people that are in the field that are doing this work that we knew. And then also being able to identify new voices that we wanted to make sure that we elevated and promoted.
Dorothy - 00:03:34:
That's great.
Natalie - 00:03:35:
Yeah. And Dorothy, I just wanted to add to that. I think what's really unique about this book, you know, we were really true to elevating and amplifying the voices of BIPOC authors as well. And I think that's what makes this book really unique is that, you know, as Lindsey mentioned, you have these innovators, but you have also people who reflect the communities that are writing about the communities that they're doing work in. And that to me, that's really power, one of the most powerful things about this book as well.
Dorothy - 00:04:04:
Thanks to you both. I know that that was really challenging to kind of whittle down the number of authors and the topics because the field of maternal health is just so vast and there's so many levels from the individual to the policy level that is important to include. Given that, Natalie, what were some of the practical tools and strategies in the playbook that readily address maternal health inequities, specifically? I know that you really worked with the authors around the equity topics.
Natalie - 00:04:41:
Yeah, for this part, I think what was really useful was for, and particularly in the equity section was frameworks on how people can really address it, and how to really think about operationalizing these frameworks. And so, you know, one of the authors wrote about reproductive justice, right? And I think that a lot of people talk about it, but don't know how to really operationalize it within their work, or how to think through it. And I think, you know, two of the chapters actually in the equity section, talk about how to really operationalize reproductive justice within your work, how are you thinking about data justice, I think, you know, Lindsey's section does a really good job on that. And then also coming to consensus building, I think, you know, one of the chapters talks about a Delphi process. And I think that's a really good practical tool when, again, we're working with historically marginalized communities and try to reconcile, you know, what academia is doing versus what the community is doing, or just different strategies on how we can come together on something that we're really passionate about, which is maternal health. So I think those are two examples of two different tools. And they're not necessarily like, when people think about tools, like, this is how you do this specifically. But this is how you think about. Because I think that the equity section is so unique. It's like, this is how you can think about ways to get at an issue creatively, innovatively, and centering and amplifying people's lived experiences.
Lindsey - 00:06:20:
Yeah, and I think what's also really great is that Natalie's section does a really great job of spotlighting equity. And then as editors, we asked our authors to also think about how to weave equity in their chapters, making it a central part of how they're thinking about collaboration or how they're thinking about scaling and sustaining their work, how they're thinking about equity and innovation. And so it was really important for us to spotlight equity specifically, but then to also be able to talk thoughtfully about how equity should be embedded in any parts of maternal health, whether that's in engagement and being thoughtful about how you engage with various communities or also in just identifying data and using it thoughtfully and disseminating it thoughtfully.
Dorothy - 00:07:06:
Thank you. Lindsey, I know that you were in charge of the section focused on data. Can you talk a little bit about how data is being used in maternal health and also where are some of the areas that we need to address where we lack the appropriate data?
Lindsey - 00:07:27:
Yeah, thanks, Dorothy. So the data section really was kind of a combination of things that we did want to talk about in terms of what existed and also opportunities to improve our current maternal health data infrastructure. Just to point out that we did try to really be thoughtful about that because there are so many places that you can really get maternal health data. And so part of that is helping our readers to understand where some of those spaces are, including data sources like MMRCs or Maternal Mortality Review Committees and why they are an important part of the data infrastructure. But then also thinking about ways that it might be useful to think about other opportunities to engage with folks that have really great maternal health data that is going to inform data to action or drive different decision-making. So for example, you know, we think a lot about data, but we recognized that there might be particular communities that are missing from the data. And one of the communities that is often missing or is not as well highlighted are folks from tribal and indigenous communities. Part of that challenge is not just about small numbers, because it's very easy to say, well, there just aren't enough numbers, but there are ways to really be thoughtful and engage with tribal and indigenous communities around data, right, using and thinking about the importance of qualitative data. So we have a section that talks about or a couple of sections that talk about the thoughtfulness of qualitative data and using qualitative data collection methods as a way to kind of tell those stories that might not be highly highlighted in the quantitative data that we have. But going back to indigenous and tribal communities, right, if you're going to be thoughtful about engaging with those communities, being mindful of data sovereignty and practices around engaging with tribal communities to collect their data, and being able to also give their data back to them and use it thoughtfully and in ways that they approve. So there is some maternal health data that's out there. There's also important, you know, we tried to highlight the fact that, and I think throughout the book, that there are different definitions. We talk about maternal health very broadly, but there are different definitions of the outcomes that we're talking about, whether we're talking about, you know, a pregnancy-related death or pregnancy associated death and what those different terms mean and how that might affect the data that you decide to use or the data that you collect, as well as the fact that there are just some differences in where you're able to, what data you're actually able to access publicly. There's a bit of a lag in the data. So we try to kind of deconstruct that for the reader so that it's really clear, but then also highlighting opportunities and ways to get additional data through qualitative opportunities or through the use of kind of local or central evaluation opportunities as a way to also collect data. So through thinking about existing structures and then also thinking about ways to do other data collection, we try to just encourage readers and stakeholders to be thoughtful about where they're getting their data from.
Dorothy - 00:10:34:
Thank you. So we've talked a little bit about the focus on equity and the use of data to drive action. Can you share with listeners some other hidden gems in the playbook, things that they may be particularly interested in exploring?
Natalie - 00:10:50:
Yeah, I think in the equity section, one that, you know, when Lindsey was talking about data that's erased or things that we often don't hear about, Crystal Hayes and Marisa Pizii did a really great chapter on doulas and incarcerated populations. And I think what was really beautiful about that chapter was that it was their own lived experiences, not as authors, but people who have been through this, who are serving as doulas and working within carceral institutions to really amplify and highlight that. And I thought that was really unique. And then Lindsey alluded to this before, you know, we often don't think about the environmental impacts on maternal health or medical or legal partnerships, and how we take legal perspectives on how we can really think about, you know, justice oriented approaches to pregnancy and maternal health. And so to me, and I'm biased, because that's the section I edited. But to me, those are hidden gems, and why it was so crucial to highlight those, because those are things we often don't hear about, whose voices aren't amplified in this work. And this was an opportunity to take when we really talk about cross-sectoral or multi-sectoral work, this is what we're talking about, because it's going to take all of us not just in public health, but from, you know, the legal perspective from environment, you know, thinking about these political determinants, and how they all intertwine to create the systems, and how do we dismantle these systems. And I think these are really great examples on how people are starting to do that. I think this is like the very beginnings of what we're going to see from these authors. And I'm really excited to have been a part of that.
Dorothy - 00:12:40:
Thanks for sharing that. I know there is in the policy section, some mention of the medical legal policy related activities that are really important for many pregnant people. That's an important point to make. Thanks. How about you, Lindsey, any gems that you want to highlight. Any exciting ways that people are working together to really transform their Maternal Health Systems in their communities
Lindsey - 00:13:07:
Yeah, I think there's some really great conversation throughout the books that I was trying to think about things that I haven't highlighted. But I will just say, you know, one of the things that I think is really unique is in the collaboration section. There are some chapters that really do highlight what it takes to do thoughtful collaboration. And to really be engaged with all of the partners that are important in this work. It is so often, I think, kind of feels like a bit of a black box, like how did people end up making this fantastic organization of all of these great minds? And our authors in the book do a really great job of kind of just taking you through what their process was and some of the lessons that they learned and some of the great successes that they had, as well as the failures that they had. How they learned to pivot and who they engaged. So there's some kind of how-tos there. I think there's also some great conversation in our innovation section. There's a great chapter there about thinking about how to use kind of current technology and social media, things like telehealth, to really get at using those as innovations. Thinking about social media and telehealth as innovations in particular to specifically improve access to reproductive health services across the life course. So not just after folks have delivered, but even before they might be even, whether they're thinking about having a child or not, just making sure that they have access to it and how we can use social media in thoughtful ways to make sure that people have the care, the respectful care that they need. So there's some really interesting, I think, kind of, if there's a little bit of something in there for everyone, whether you're thinking about social media or you're thinking about data or you're thinking about doulas and thoughtful ways to use doulas, there's a bit of something in there for everyone that has a piece of this maternal health work because there's lots of work to be done. And so we wanted to be thoughtful and make sure that there was something in there for everyone. I also, really quick, one of the other favorite things about this book is that in between each section, we were really thoughtful about making sure that we were able to kind of highlight a specific piece of data that we wanted readers to know. Using an infographic, or that we also highlighted the lived experiences of birthing people that had recently given birth and were willing to share and tell their stories. Because it does us no good to do all of this work without us remembering that not only are these numbers that exist, but there are actual people behind the numbers. There are families, there are birthing people that are experiencing these maternal health outcomes.
Natalie - 00:15:59:
Yeah. And the other thing I want to add is that it's really also aligned with The White House Blueprint, the Maternal Health White House Blueprint, you know, and the suggestions that are made and the things that, you know, we want to do as well as the Omnibus Act. You know, these are the innovations when we're talking about telehealth, you know, there's a whole section on that or a whole chapter on that when we're talking about systems change. You know, Dr. Lloyd Michener did a really good job at thinking about, you know, how do we think about systems? Because oftentimes, that's the hardest thing to think about is, you know, we want to create really great interventions, but those are sometimes band-aids to a larger systemic issue. But how are we working collaboratively and across systems to really infiltrate change? And again, this is aligned with a lot of the principles and The White House Blueprint and what people are looking forward to, and where, like, grant applications are going or funding announcements are going or where, you know, our country is going in terms of thinking about solutions for our communities.
Dorothy - 00:17:06:
Thank you. That makes me think about sustaining some of this momentum because clearly this has been an issue that's drawn a lot of attention appropriately because we know that 80% of maternal deaths are preventable. So I'm wondering, is there anything in the playbook related to how to sustain this work once communities or states are able to launch these initiatives?
Lindsey - 00:17:36:
We have a great section that was led by Dr. Lloyd Michener that Natalie just alluded to and mentioned that it's all about, you know, scalability and sustainability. And I will also say that throughout some of the other chapters and sections of the book, you'll find that in the conclusion section. And also, I want to give a shout out also to. Dr. Alisahah Jackson, who led also the introduction section, and that's where you will find there are some chapters there that are written by some of our federal leaders that are really taking the charge on this work, such as HRSA's Maternal Child Health Bureau. There's also some great work in there by some of our colleagues that are doing some fantastic work in Georgia and thinking about how to sustain the work that's moving forward. So in both Dr. Jackson's section and in Dr. Michener's section, there's talk about current initiatives and efforts to kind of fund and sustain the work that is happening and also to scale it to broader communities where that investment needs to be made. I should also just note that in some of the other sections when we're talking about, you know, collaboration or equity or innovation. The authors towards the end kind of talk about like what has happened with whatever the work is that they're doing or where they think the work needs to go. And so if you're really looking for ways to sustain the work, and particularly as a reader, if you're trying to find some of that stuff, that information really might be towards the end of the chapters. If you're not in that introduction section or in that systems and scalability section where you will find some of the meatiest parts about, well, what comes next and how do we move forward? And what are the things that need to happen in order for this work to kind of continue? One more thought. One more thing reminded me of like in some of the parts, right, folks are just talking about like what funding they tapped into, whether it is something like Our Moms or another funding opportunity. They name it explicitly so that way other folks can go back and say, oh, this funding opportunity exists or here's one that's similar to it. And other entities or stakeholders can really apply for those same opportunities.
Natalie - 00:19:55:
And it was done intentionally, like as editors, we wanted to make sure, you know, when we invited people to submit chapters, that all of these things were covered, because this is a step by step process on how to address an issue through equity. I mean, that's why you can't really pick out one section or chapter, because all of them have all of these elements that were so critical, and things that we hear over and over again, you know, oh, this is a great book, but it's just about this. How do you start it? How do you even take a small idea? You know, who funded it? What did you do? How do you sustain it? That's all people want to know. And that's what this book gives you. And it's wonderful. And I think a lot of it can be sustained, because you can replicate a lot of these models, you can reach out to these authors and say, hey, you know, we would like to partner, how did you scale this up? Can we think about evaluating this project and doing implementation science and seeing how we can implement something that was happening in Georgia and North Carolina. And so I think there are a lot of really neat tools and opportunities for people who engage with this book, because you're going to see, wow, like, this is really different. This is not your typical maternal and child health textbook that talks about a framework, right? But this is how the framework can be used. And this is how you can implement it. And this is how we implement it. And again, as Lindsey mentioned, these are the facilitators, these are the barriers. Let's work together. And that's why, you know, it's the practical playbook working together to address maternal and child health, because everyone is truly engaged and working together. And you can see, you can read between the lines how passionate people are about this work. And again, I think that those are the highlights for me and why this was such an amazing project. And I'm grateful to you, Dorothy, and Sarah for inviting me to be a part of it, because it was one of the best experiences I've had working on something, although it was long, and it was hard and arduous, and a lot of follow up. And I was like, is this ever going to get the end? But I learned so much. And I think, I mean, we just had a fantastic team of editors. And when Lindsey came on, that was the icing on the cake. So just really proud of what we've been able to accomplish and looking forward to hearing people's responses to it.
Dorothy - 00:22:32:
Yes, I agree. It was a great team effort. And it started during COVID, right? We conceptualized the idea for the book with The De Beaumont Foundation, which supported much of the content development as well as the book being available open access so anybody can get it online, download. You don't need to purchase a hard copy. Though it's a beautiful book, you might want it in your collection because it's got wonderful graphics from our communications director here at the Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center, Kelli Sheppard. And it's purple, right? We were all very excited about the colors. So we really did want to highlight some of the joys and appreciate some of the work that's happened way before this book and will continue way after this book. But my question is, it's hard sometimes to include everything in a playbook, keep it relevant and current. So over the course of four years, there are changes in the landscape, changes in the data, things maybe that we weren't thinking about too much in 2020. We realized we needed to reflect on more now that it's 2024, but can you speak to some of the challenges with the timeline that we experienced in order to get the book from initial concept to publication? And what are some of the thoughts about keeping the content updated and relevant as we go forward?
Natalie - 00:24:12:
So in terms of the timeline, I think. You know, as you mentioned, y'all conceived this idea during COVID, but COVID was still lingering, right? And people were starting to return to in office, you know, people still had a lot of things going on. And again, something that we're proud of is that a lot of the chapters were led by historically marginalized communities and groups. And sometimes things aren't as easy or happen as quickly as you would like them to happen, or people started and were interested, but then had to pull out because other things came up or, you know, like a lot of us, we were all experiencing loss, and not just physical loss, but mental health challenges, turnover in our institutions and people we were collaborating with. And so, that was really difficult. And so I think that led to some things, and I can speak from personal experience coming from a historically Black Medical School. We don't have as many resources or human capital to help move things along as quickly as we would like. And so that presented some challenges even as we were editing and thinking through some of the chapters and communication with the co-authors. I think something, you know, as we think about updating it, and as I'm talking about the challenges is the mental health component, right? Because we did see a shift in some of the leading causes of maternal mortality. And a lot of that being mental health or behavioral health conditions. And something that isn't as amplified in the practical playbook is some work around maternal mental health or substance use disorders. And so I think, you know, I think a lot of the skeleton is there on how you can take a particular issue, and then insert this topical area and address it. And there are some components where although people were focused on cardiovascular disease, you can see mental health is starting to creep up in some of the data or in some of the analyses that people were conducting. And so I think, you know, as we're thinking about moving forward or applicability or other topics that people want to address, I think these are things that we need to hold on to, and start thinking about, okay, how are we thinking about mental health, and particularly with BIPOC communities, because the conversation around mental health has just been really focused on non-Hispanic white women, or even Latinx populations. But we know there's a lot of speaking of data justice, not enough data, because Black women in particular, underscreened or not screened at all for maternal mental health conditions. And I think there's a lot that we can do in that arena.
Lindsey - 00:27:06:
Yeah. And I think to build on what Natalie said, you know, in terms of that timeline, I think by the time I come on to the book, a lot of the a lot of the authors had been identified, but there were parts that were still missing. And also, you know, just shout out to our editors who also were taking on a really big task of reaching out to their colleagues, making the ask. Getting turned down, finding other colleagues, right? And so there was this additional kind of iteration because people were, I mean, it was the height of the pandemic. People were, as Natalie mentioned, kind of just dealing with all sorts of loss. And at the same time, as their colleagues are dealing with their loss, our editors were dealing with their own personal or professional challenges of navigating what life is like now in a pandemic space. So that did just take some iteration. There were a lot of folks who just did not have the capacity at the time to really write what they wanted to write, expressed interest, and just said, this is not a great time, can you come back to me later? And as a matter of fact, ran into some folks who, when we told them we were publishing the book, they were like, I didn't get to write the chapter that I wanted. Are you going to do another book? Are you going to do another version? And that's really great because even though there's more than 600 pages, there's still so much to cover. So as Natalie mentioned, I think maternal mental health is really important. We also recognize that we want to highlight people living with disabilities and how they are also impacted by and navigating this new maternal health landscape. Even thinking about LGBTQ and non-binary community members that are in this maternal health landscape space. And we also were really thoughtful, I should mention that kind of in the language that we use in the book to really be inclusive of all of the experiences of birthing people and women in this space. But what are the specific challenges that LGBTQ or non-binary folks have in terms of accessing thoughtful medical care in this really critical time? And then even stuff, like birthing centers, right? And the key role that birthing centers play, particularly in the landscape now where we're seeing so many maternal hospital closures, and there's just not always the great medical capacity that there once was to provide ongoing medical care. So in terms of next steps, I think we would love to publish another playbook, volume two, or this would be volume four, but volume two of another maternal playbook. I do not know if there is going to be a physical hard copy, but we are committed to continuing to tell these stories and specifically lifting them up on our Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center website. The editors have continued to hear from folks that want to lift up their stories. As the book has been published, folks are coming back. So we want to find a space to make sure that we have a Maternal Health Playbook Volume 2 somewhere so that we can keep adding to kind of this robust collection of information.
Dorothy - 00:30:14:
That's amazing. Thank you for being so adaptive and supportive of all of your authors during that challenging time. What specific actions or initiatives do you hope will be sparked by this Practical Playbook focused on maternal health?
Lindsey - 00:30:33:
Wow. I think one of the, you know, so one of the great things that this, I think, playbook highlights is that there was work that was happening way before the Practical Playbook. And it really does highlight the pioneers, particularly the Black women, Latina women, the Indigenous communities and women that were leading this work way before, right, there was even national attention. And I think a big dream would be to see continued investment in those folks that were doing this work before we came along. Because it is because they were calling it out and raising the alert and the sound that it got some of the national spotlight that it did. So continued ongoing investment in their programs and initiatives and research would be really important. But that there's just also thoughtful alignment there is. So there's a lot of great funding, right, that's available. There's a lot of great opportunity. How is all of that being aligned thoughtfully so that we are intentionally contributing to progress and not just putting a spotlight on something and then saying, oh, we solved the problem when they're actually still families and birthing people who are experiencing these tragedies. So how do we do that? And I think the other one is there's been this interesting, last thought I have is there's been an interesting conversation around, you know, because that we've highlighted so many of the tragedies and losses, and we don't want to minimize that. How do we also still continue to insert conversations around hope so that people don't feel so much despair? Not at all. Negating that In loss, there is grief, right? And that there is a physical absence of some person or some ability that they had that because of maybe a severe maternal condition. They don't have that anymore. So there could be loss, but where is the initial, how do we also continue to have conversations around hope and just spreading hope to current and future birthing folks that are honestly maybe afraid about going into these spaces to give birth, because they've heard about all of this tragedy of loss and don't want to experience that themselves. So those would be my big dreams for what comes next.
Natalie - 00:33:00:
I love it, Lindsey. When you mentioned hope, that's exactly what I was thinking about. I think what comes out of this and my hope is this joy and that people realize that maternal health is resistance, it's resilience, and it's joy. And I think throughout the book, we highlight some of those instances of joy because it's such a tragedy. It's something that's so so hurtful. And we know that systems have played a big role in what's contributing to a lot of the issues that we're facing. I know one of the things we say is you can't move the needle on maternal health outcomes without a single perspective or approach. And I, my dream is that people take these approaches and scale them up, that, that people who read this book, reach out to one of the authors and say, Hey, let's partner because this is a huge issue in my community, or how can I adapt this, what you're doing for Black women and adaptive for Latinx women in the South Bronx who are experiencing the same inequities, but whose voices are lost in translation. My hope is that we continue to pursue and fund these solutions who have been highlighted and often don't get the opportunity to be highlighted in a peer reviewed journal article, right? Because the way we approach this is really different than what a peer reviewed journal article, you know, sometimes that's a foreign language to a lot of people. And then again, a lot of our communities don't have access to peer reviewed journal articles to be figuring out what's the latest and greatest thing, you know, here are people with who have limited resources and have been able to enact change. And hopefully, as Lindsey said, there can be more resources poured into these innovations that we're highlighting within this textbook, so that we can move the needle towards maternal health equity, and that no person should have to suffer from a tragedy when this should be the most amazing experience of their life.
Dorothy - 00:35:06:
Thank you. My final question is related to our youth and maybe people who aren't exposed to maternal health or don't see a role for themselves within the field of maternal health or public health more broadly, or maybe are just beginning their careers, their early career professionals, internationals, or maybe they're in college and thinking about graduate school. How do you think this resource might be helpful to those who are studying or just entering the field? And what work do you see for them moving forward? We hope we will have the opportunity to do this work for a long time. But I do think about our pipeline. And I think about our current public health workforce, which is not very very diverse. It doesn't reflect the communities that are experiencing less quality of life and worse health. So what would you say to that audience of people who are just now navigating how they're going to have meaningful careers and make a difference?
Natalie - 00:36:20:
I think even if you're not in maternal health, I think a lot of the strategies are applicable to other disease and disaster areas. And something that we all can connect to is, you know, someone has a mother, a sister, a cousin, you know, some type of woman or birthing person in their life. And so I think even if this just amplifies that experience or offer some insight on what is actually happening in maternal health, because I think the media has portrayed it as one thing, where the vision or what you see and has been sensationalized as a woman, you know, giving birth and then dying, right, on the bed, when we know the majority of maternal deaths are happening in the postpartum period, that we have issues of inequities or health insurance coverage, where in a lot of the southern states where 56 of the African-American population lives, 30% of women of reproductive age don't have health insurance coverage. And so, there are a lot of opportunities where, again, even if you're not interested, particularly in maternal health, opportunities of intervention to address this, because it's not just about women or birthing people, it's about families, it's about communities, it's about systems. And I think that's what makes it applicable to everyone. And I think for the younger generation, I think, again, this offer them tools and opportunities to think about public health or clinical care or policy in many different ways or can get them involved. Like, wow, this is how you can actually enact change in my community. It's not just, you know, developing or being a health educator or developing programs. I can actually meet with legislators or create a white paper to inform policy initiatives. Then that would just move the needle in maternal Health but move the needle in health period for our communities and so again, there are these hidden gems for those that are interested, and I think for those that maybe have not been interested, I would be interested if I read, like, wow, like, this is really about generations and families and communities. It's more than just women and birthing people. It's about communities and society.
Lindsey - 00:38:42:
Yeah. And I would say, I want to echo everything that Natalie just said. I want to just give a shout out also to you, Dorothy, and to you, Natalie. So one of the ways that I think young people can get involved, I'm kind of young-ish. I actually got involved with this book because of Dorothy, your mentorship, and you saying, Lindsey, is this a project that you would like to work on? I said, yes, and had no idea what it was, but the fact that you even made the offer was fantastic. And Natalie, you did the same thing with Tamron, right, who was someone that worked with you. He was very instrumental in the work that we did in this book. Shout out to you, Tam, because of his ability to kind of help with me coordinating between some of the authors that you had. And so part of it is, I want to say, yes, like I have some gems for the, for the younger folks, but also to the mentors, right. To use this, my experience or Tamron's experience or other students' experience of ways that you can just thoughtfully engage your students in, in the work that you're doing, even something like putting a book together. It's a phenomenal kind of just learning opportunity for me about what the maternal health landscape looks like. The other thing is to students or to future generations, right? There are so many authors in this book that are doing some fantastic work. If you come across a chapter and you're like, oh, I want to know more about that, reach out to them. Our authors are hungry to talk to folks and would love by you leading with, I've read your chapter in the practical playbook would I think, go very far in terms of just your ability to continue to engage and get some information from them. And I think exactly what you said, Dorothy, what you said, Natalie, is, you know, the diversity of the public health field, of the medical field, of the policy field. There's opportunity there for folks from different backgrounds and communities to kind of contribute to the space of maternal health. And so there's different ways that you can do it. We would love for you to come to one of our schools of public health or love for you to come to one of our medical schools. There are universities all across the United States that are hungry for your energy. And so think about applying to a medical school or to a school of public health or to a school of social work. So kind of just be engaged and involved in the field. Health departments are hungry for your expertise, right? Policymakers are hungry for your passion. Lots of people just want you because you do bring an energy and a fire that's really important to the field. So look up the names of folks, contact them. There might be jobs, you know, if you're looking for employment. Sometimes these programs are really ready to hire. And so it doesn't hurt to just reach out to them and start with, I read your chapter in the practical playbook. Can you tell me more?
Dorothy - 00:41:29:
Thank you so much, Lindsey and Natalie, for taking the time to join us today to share your experiences and wisdom. And thank you all for listening. For more podcasts, videos, blogs, and maternal health content, please visit the Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center website at maternalhealthlearning.org. We want to hear from you. Tell us what you want to hear more of. Review our podcast and share with like-minded innovators. We've got some great episodes that we're recording now and in the future. So be sure you are subscribed. And Lindsey and Natalie, and for all of our editors of the Practical Playbook, the de Beaumont Foundation, Oxford University Press, we need to keep talking. So please tag us in your posts using #MaternalHealthInnovation. I'm Dorothy Cilenti, and we'll talk with you again soon on the Maternal Health Innovation podcast.
Disclaimer - 00:42:36:
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Service Administration, HRSA, of the US Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, under grant number U7-CMC-33636, State Maternal Health Innovation Support and Implementation Program Cooperative Agreement. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the US Government.