Introducing Mama Certified’s Member Hospitals
Today, we are excited to announce that all four Hamilton County adult hospital systems that serve pregnant people have signed on to be Mama Certified members. This first-of-its-kind certification brings together Bon Secours Mercy Health, The Christ Hospital Health Network, TriHealth and UC Health to advance maternal health equity for Black families. Mama Certified is powered by bi3 and supported by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation.
Developed in partnership with Cradle Cincinnati, The Health Collaborative, Queens Village and local Black mothers, Mama Certified is designed to provide Black parents-to-be with a meaningful way to assess and compare the maternal-related efforts of Hamilton County’s hospital networks and to encourage and support the hospitals’ increased efforts to ensure that Black parents-to-be and their babies receive respect and care.
Under Mama Certified, health systems will be assessed for their efforts across four categories: infant care, maternal care, staff care and community care, starting with maternal and infant care in 2024. Progress and results will be made publicly available to the community.
Mama Certified was developed in response to significant racial disparities in infant mortality and maternal mortality in the region. Black moms are 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth and nearly three times more likely to experience infant loss in Ohio than any other race, regardless of education and socioeconomic factors. In addition, Black women reported locally that they often feel unseen, unheard and ignored in medical settings.
As Mama Certified members, hospitals agree to the following:
Public Commitment Hospital systems will demonstrate their public commitment to Mama Certified through hospital signage, their websites and more.
Data Sharing Member hospitals will undertake a journey towards more equitable outcomes by being willing to share data, accept feedback and invest in their staff and community.
Training Women's Health/OBGYN staff at member hospital systems will complete training that ensures an understanding of the realities of equity in healthcare.
Co-Creation of Strategies Hospital leadership will regularly meet with Queens Village, a community of powerful Black women, to develop new strategies that support equitable maternal and infant healthcare.
“Mercy Health Cincinnati is proud to partner with our colleagues and communities to ensure everyone in Greater Cincinnati has the best birthing experience possible, regardless of their race. We know having a baby is both special and scary, and there are a lot of decisions to make along the way. Mama Certified is a unique collaboration that brings transparency and insight into the important work hospitals are doing to address maternal health equity. Together, we can change the outcomes for Black families.”
“Increased equity, transparency and education are critically important components to the improvement of healthcare in our community and beyond. The Christ Hospital Health Network is extremely dedicated to participating in the Mama Certified program and supporting initiatives to elevate women’s healthcare along every step in the maternity and motherhood journey.”
“TriHealth believes it is our responsibility to address the health equity disparities that exist within the community, which is why we are proud to partner with Cradle Cincinnati and other area health systems on Mama Certified. We believe a digital platform designed for public access will enable Black families to make informed choices about accessing maternity and infant care, and will provide greater opportunities for safe, equitable care for Black patients and their babies.”
“UC Health is excited about this opportunity to partner with Mama Certified and other regional hospitals to showcase our existing work and priorities to deliver equitable obstetrics care to the women in our communities and beyond.”
Working together through Mama Certified, we can make progress as a region to improve maternal and infant outcomes for Black families.
Hospital-specific maternal and infant health data will be available for the public to view in 2024. For more information, visit www.mamacertified.org and sign up for the Mama Certified newsletter.