Nebraska Maternal Health Initiative
IBBG is committed to ensuring that underserved communities have positive birth outcomes and not only live through their maternal health experiences, but thrive.
IBBG received a five-year grant funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau to create innovative solutions to improve maternal and child health in Nebraska for underserved communities through collaboration, data collection, and analysis.
IBBG is the first and only community-based organization to receive this Maternal Health Innovation award since the program’s inception!
Our Approach
To radically transform maternal and child health through systemic level change that creates better birth outcomes for underserved populations. By centering the needs of women who have historically been pushed to the margins, we aim to create a Maternal and Child Health ecosystem that will transform systems for the health and well-being of all.
Primary Goals
To develop and implement innovative strategies
To improve state-level maternal health data collection, surveillance, and access, by supporting the state’s data infrastructure.
To promote and execute innovation in maternal health service delivery through the strengthening of our Doula Passage Program, thereby building a network of culturally competent birth workers to support underserved populations through their pregnancy-related journeys.
The Landscape
2023 March of Dimes Preterm Birth Grades:
Nebraska has a score of D- with preterm birth rate higher than the US rate.
Douglas County scored an F
Omaha scored an F
Black birthing people experience the highest preterm birth rate, which is 1.5x higher than the rate among all other races/ethnicities.
2023 Nebraska Maternal Death Review:
93% of pregnancy-related deaths in Nebraska were deemed preventable.
Maternity Care Desert
Nebraska ranks second-highest in the U.S. for percentage of maternity care desert counties.
The further a birthing person travels to access maternity care, the greater the risk for poor outcomes for both mother & baby.
Hospitals
Hospitals that predominantly serve Black people in Nebraska have higher rates of maternal complications and poor pregnancy outcomes.
Infant Mortality
The infant mortality rate among babies born to non-Hispanic Black women is 2.4X the Nebraska state rate.
Black Maternal Health Coalition
Our former Black Maternal Health Coalition will now be a subcommittee under the taskforce where the priorities and work within this group will continue.