New maternal health website built to help residents find resources – Cardinal News

Report on a Regional Maternal Health Initiative and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Advancing SDG 3 in Southwestern Virginia

In alignment with global efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), the Southwestern Health Region has launched a new online directory aimed at improving maternal and infant health outcomes. This initiative, stemming from a December 2024 executive order, directly addresses SDG Target 3.1, which seeks to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio, and Target 3.2, which aims to end preventable deaths of newborns and children. The platform serves as a centralized resource hub for pregnant and postpartum individuals, healthcare providers, and community organizations.

Key Features of the Initiative and SDG Alignment

The online directory provides critical resources designed to enhance maternal health, thereby supporting several Sustainable Development Goals.

Contribution to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Access to Care: The website offers guidance on finding OB-GYNs and enrolling in Medicaid, facilitating access to essential prenatal and postnatal care.
• Specialized Support: Information is provided on accessing doulas and midwives, diversifying birthing care options for families in the region.
• Mental Health Services: A dedicated section on maternal mental health connects individuals with local care and provides support for families experiencing child loss, a crucial component of holistic well-being.
• Provider Education: The platform includes educational tools for obstetrics providers, including evidence-based guidance on supporting patients with substance use during pregnancy, aiming to reduce barriers to prenatal care.

Support for SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

• Economic Empowerment: By providing information on postpartum workplace rights and paid family leave, the initiative supports women’s economic stability and participation in the workforce, contributing to SDG 5.
• Community Engagement: A feedback mechanism allows the public to submit questions and comments, ensuring the resource evolves to meet community needs and promotes inclusive governance.

Data-Driven Accountability for Health Equity (SDG 10 & SDG 16)

The Maternal and Child Health Indicators Dashboard

A key component of this initiative is its link to the state’s maternal and child health indicators dashboard. This tool enhances institutional accountability and transparency (SDG 16) by centralizing previously fragmented data, enabling evidence-based decision-making to address health disparities. The dashboard reveals significant challenges to achieving SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) within the region.

Analysis of Regional Health Disparities

1. Geographic Inequality: Rural counties exhibit mortality rates far exceeding the state average.
   • In Scott County, the infant mortality rate was 17.4 per 1,000 live births, nearly triple the state average of 5.8.
   • Floyd County reported an infant mortality rate of approximately 20 per 1,000 births.
   • The maternal mortality rate in rural Virginia (53.5 per 100,000 live births) is significantly higher than the statewide rate (34.5).
2. Racial Inequality: State data from 2018-2022 shows profound racial disparities in maternal health outcomes.
   • Black women experienced a pregnancy-associated death rate of 170.6 per 100,000 live births.
   • This rate is nearly three times higher than the rate for all Virginia residents (62.3 per 100,000 live births) in the same period.

The data underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to ensure equitable health outcomes for all mothers and children, a core principle of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on the Southwestern Health Region’s maternal health initiative addresses and connects to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These include:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: This is the most prominent SDG, as the entire article focuses on improving maternal and infant health outcomes, expanding access to healthcare, providing mental health support, and addressing substance use during pregnancy.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article explicitly highlights significant disparities in health outcomes based on race and geographic location. It points out the higher maternal and infant mortality rates among Black women and in rural counties, and the initiative aims to address these inequalities.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The initiative stems from an executive order directing state agencies to improve maternal health. The creation of a public data dashboard and an online resource directory demonstrates a commitment to building effective, accountable, and transparent institutions that provide public access to information.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Under SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being):
   • Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio. The article directly addresses this by citing the maternal mortality rate in rural Virginia (53.5 per 100,000 live births) and the statewide rate (34.5 per 100,000), indicating a clear focus on reducing these numbers.
   • Target 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age. The article discusses high infant mortality rates in specific counties, such as Scott County (17.4 per 1,000 live births) and Floyd County (20 per 1,000 live births), which are the focus of the health initiative.
   • Target 3.4: Promote mental health and well-being. The new website explicitly includes “maternal mental health resources to help individuals find local care,” directly aligning with this target.
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including access to quality essential health-care services. The initiative aims to expand access to care by providing information on finding OB-GYNs, doulas, and midwives, and how to enroll in Medicaid. The data on women accessing prenatal care late or not at all highlights the gaps in universal health coverage that the program seeks to close.
2. Under SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities):
   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of race, ethnicity, or other status. The article’s focus on the “stark racial disparities,” noting that Black women have a pregnancy-associated death rate of 170.6 per 100,000 live births compared to 62.3 for all residents, shows that the initiative is aimed at reducing these specific inequalities and improving outcomes for marginalized groups.
3. Under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions):
   • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The launch of the state’s maternal and child health indicators dashboard, which “centralizes maternal health data that previously appeared only once every three years,” is a direct effort to make health institutions more transparent and accountable by providing timely data.
   • Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information. The creation of the online directory that “compiles resources for families, providers and community organizations” is a primary example of ensuring the public has access to vital information to improve their health outcomes.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several specific quantitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Maternal Mortality Ratio (Indicator 3.1.1): The article provides precise figures, such as the maternal mortality rate of “53.5 per 100,000 live births in rural Virginia” and “34.5 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births” statewide. Progress can be measured by tracking the reduction in these rates.
• Infant Mortality Rate (Component of Indicator 3.2.2): The article cites specific rates for rural counties, including “17.4 per 1,000 live births” in Scott County and “about 20 per 1,000 births” in Floyd County. These serve as baseline data to measure improvement.
• Proportion of women receiving prenatal care: The article implies this indicator by stating that in Scott County, “Nearly 31% of pregnant women accessed prenatal care late or not at all.” An increase in timely prenatal care would be a key measure of success for the new resource directory.
• Health service coverage (by insurance): The article mentions that in Scott County, “About 49% of pregnant women used Medicaid,” and in Floyd County, “About 37% of women used Medicaid.” These figures can be used to track access to care and financial protection for pregnant individuals.
• Disaggregated mortality data: The article provides data disaggregated by race, noting a pregnancy-associated death rate of “170.6 deaths per 100,000 live births” for Black women versus “62.3… among all Virginia residents.” This disaggregated data is a crucial indicator for tracking progress on Target 10.2 (Reduced Inequalities).

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: cardinalnews.org