Transforming Prenatal Care with the Cradle Cincinnati Learning Collaborative
Cradle Cincinnati is actively transforming systems and addressing the effects of systemic racism on maternal health and well-being as a key part of our strategy to end infant mortality. This work is being advanced through several initiatives, including Mama Certified, a new maternal equity certification for birthing hospitals in Greater Cincinnati; the Cradle Cincinnati Policy Committee, a collective of community members and local leaders who advocate for local and statewide policy changes that make healthy living easier; and the Cradle Cincinnati Learning Collaborative (CCLC).
With a network of more than 400 prenatal health professionals, the CCLC’s goal is to transform prenatal care for women and their families through quality improvement practices. Last week, they launched their first-ever annual report, offering insights into their membership, activities and interventions supporting women prenatally.
“Over the past several years, we’ve seen encouraging improvements in maternal and infant health in Hamilton County. These changes wouldn’t be possible without the cohesive teamwork between our local health systems. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing firsthand doctors, nurses, social workers, community health workers and other health professionals come together in support of birthing people, sharing best practices and uniting to give the best care possible.”
Activities include effective smoking cessation support, connecting patients to community health workers and the Queens Village community, increasing awareness of safe sleep, and implementing health equity initiatives. This includes expanding the medical system’s capacity to center the needs of Black birthing people. To that end, the Cradle Cincinnati Learning Collaborative facilitated the opening of QV Corners, Queens Village curated spaces within prenatal health center waiting rooms, in three Cincinnati Health Department and UC Health prenatal sites.
Looking forward, the team plans to continue its work of making prenatal healthcare more accessible to women in Hamilton County, while also creating more opportunities for health professionals and Black birthing people to come together to bridge their differences and build a culture of openness and trust.
Learn more about the Cradle Cincinnati Learning Collaborative by reading the report here, and, if you are a prenatal health professional, become a member at https://cradlecincinnatilearningcollab.org/signup.