Fresno project offers pregnant mothers of color hope to avoid preterm births

Over the last few years, our community has given birth to innovative solution-driven projects to combat one stark fact: Fresno County ranks No. 1 on the list of California counties, with the highest preterm rate of two-thirds of all births. More startling, African American babies continue to die in their first year of life at three times the rate of all other babies.

Landing on what to do about our reality has been no easy task. The statistics continue to be alarming, and the problem, at times, seems overwhelming. Still, as community leaders, and as parents, we have persisted to bring collective action and begin changing the narrative — most critically for our African American babies and families.

Through a partnership with Fresno State’s Central Valley Health Policy Institute and First 5 Fresno County in 2015, we learned firsthand the challenges faced by many of our African American neighbors. Mothers spoke about feeling unwelcomed at doctors’ offices and thus opting out of prenatal-care appointments; about feeling isolated while being pregnant; and about the stigma they felt when asking for any type of help, solely for being black. The assessment and community feedback informed strategies to begin addressing the disparities

In 2017, a new partner emerged — University of California San Francisco’s Preterm Birth Initiative — by investing $1.3 million in a group prenatal-care pilot study focused on more babies being born healthy. Named Glow! for the glow that accompanies a healthy pregnancy, the study brings women together whose delivery due date is around the same time to share their pregnancy journey in a group setting. This is a simple yet powerful approach, demonstrating improved maternal and child-health outcomes for participants.

Seeing some preliminary promising results, Fresno State and UCSF joined forces, once again, to dream bigger. Out of more than 160 nationwide interested projects, the team was chosen by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to scale the research and compare Glow! group prenatal care to Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP), one-on-one prenatal care. EMBRACE (Engaging Mothers & Babies; Reimagining Antenatal Care for Everyone) is a $5.6 million study, over the next four years, that will sample 2,600 local women and, ultimately, influence state and national policy on how medical providers re-imagine prenatal care.

First 5 Fresno County is an EMBRACE partner, investing $1.6 million over the next four years in the Glow! group prenatal care program. Higher-education institutions are partnering with local agencies to test and develop viable solutions to a community crisis. This has the potential to be a game changer for our all our Fresno County babies and beyond.

Being at the end of the two spectrums on the cradle-to-career continuum has been the secret sauce to progress. We believe it is our responsibility, as institutions in our community, to care for the most vulnerable among us. A healthy baby, born in a thriving family and living in a supportive community, is bound for continued educational success and yields positive results for all of us. We know talent exists in every household. Our children thrive when their families thrive, and if group prenatal care can make a difference in babies being born healthy, we are even more motivated to invest our resources committedly. With Fresno State, we are developing a model of quality, sustainable, replicable group prenatal care that focuses on addressing the psychological and social determinants of health for women in Fresno.

November is National Prematurity Awareness Month. Join us in showing your support for healthy pregnancies, especially for pregnant women of color, and most particularly for African American women in Fresno. Take a moment to learn and better understand the circumstances that make it difficult for babies of color to be born healthy. If you are pregnant yourself, ask your doctor about participating in the EMBRACE study.

We know our efforts are only one piece of a whole, but we are committed to the long-term and life-changing effects of this collective work. Present and future babies in Fresno County need us to be bold in putting their future first. If you are interested in partnering with us, reach out to embrace@mail.fresnostate.edu or call 559.228.2165.

This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresno project offers pregnant mothers of color hope to avoid preterm births."