Read the blueprintBy many measures, Connecticut ranks among the best places in the United States to give birth. But not everyone has the same opportunity for or likelihood of having a safe and healthy pregnancy, birth, and start to parenthood. Connecticut ranks in the bottom half of the nation in the rate of life-threatening complications related to pregnancy – a condition known as severe maternal morbidity.
These complications are not experienced evenly: Black women in Connecticut are twice as likely as their white counterparts to experience severe maternal morbidity.
The blueprint for maternal health equity in Connecticut aims to close the gap, and outlines evidence-backed strategic actions that can be taken in the coming years.
The blueprint was developed by a team of researchers and clinicians and an advisory committee with representatives from many sectors and those with lived experience of inequities in maternal health care. It was informed by more than 215 Connecticut residents and reviewed by national experts.
The blueprint aims to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the burden of severe maternal morbidity among Black women over three years, closing the racial gap for Connecticut and improving outcomes for all. While this blueprint focuses on the population with the greatest risk of poor outcomes, many of the strategic recommendations have the potential to reduce severe complications for all people experiencing childbirth in our state.
>>> Read a fact sheet about the blueprint and key next steps
>>> Read the executive summary
Authors: The blueprint was produced by members of the Maternal Health Advisory Committee, the Yale Equity Research and Innovation Center, the Yale Global Health Leadership Initiative, and the Connecticut Health Foundation.