Every Mother Counts

It was a busy week in NYC for EMC staff and grantee partners! Swipe for some of the highlights of our week: 1️⃣ Every Mother Counts founder & president Christy Turlington Burns underscored the link between nutrition and maternal health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s #Goalkeepers2030. 2️⃣ Dr. Iftikher Mahmood, founder of EMC’s grantee partner HOPE Foundation for Women & Children of Bangladesh underscored the importance of health access for all at #CGI2024. 3️⃣ Christy Turlington Burns joined women’s health leaders at the World Economic Forum’s Champions Meeting of the Global Alliance for Women’s Health. 4️⃣ Christy Turlington Burns was delighted to participate in an important conversation about maternal health at a #CGI2024 roundtable with fellow advocates, including Jennifer Siebel Newsome and Angelina Spicer. 5️⃣ We were thrilled to welcome grantee partners and other friends to our office for an UNGA week open house! Rose Tobiassen, of Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME) and David Murphy of One Heart Worldwide were among our guests! 6️⃣ We also welcomed Wendo Aszed, founder & executive director of our grantee partner Dandelion Africa, at our office. It was a terrific week of connecting and learning from thinkers, leaders, and experts making a difference for women and birthing people around the world. Looking forward to next year! #UNGA #CGI #SDIM24

Our 2023 Impact Report is live! 🎉 Since 2010, when Every Mother Counts was founded, the maternal health landscape has changed but our goal to ensure everyone, everywhere has timely access to safe, respectful, equitable maternity care remains the same. In 2023, we spent time reflecting on EMC’s unique skills and opportunities to make the greatest impact - and the results were exciting! And with the steadfast support of our incredible community, we look ahead with renewed energy, hope, and a refined vision. We’re thrilled to share more about our transformational year with you. 🧡 Read the full report: https://bit.ly/47UsXoR

All birthing people have the right to safe, respectful, equitable maternity care. Yet the fact that millions of people of reproductive age in the U.S. live in counties without a SINGLE birthing facility or obstetric care provider is a stark reminder that for too many, this right is not realized. The new March of Dimes report highlights how lack of access to maternal health care remains a significant hurdle in the U.S., and has only worsened following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Every Mother Counts is dedicated to ensuring that all people receive safe, respectful, and equitable care—including the essential access to that care. 🔗 Find the report: https://bit.ly/3XyAvIQ

Welcome to the team Claire Morrissey! 🎉 We’re thrilled to announce that Claire has joined Every Mother Counts as our Associate on the Communications & Marketing team. Claire worked with us last year as our intern and we are so excited to continue working with her! Please join us in welcoming Claire to the EMC community!

Imagine that every mother has the support they need to have a joyful birth – they are supported by their loved ones, have access to a warm and comfortable birthing environment, and have a care team that treats them with the dignity and respect they deserve. Birth centers across the U.S. are making affirming, positive birthing experiences like this a reality. Evidence shows that birth center care offers many benefits, including: ✅ Lower rates of intervention; ✅ Improved care experience and satisfaction; ✅ Lower healthcare costs. Birth center care is a safe option for about 80% of people who give birth in the U.S., but less than 1% of births in 2022 took place in one. This is particularly concerning given how critical birth centers are in addressing racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. This lack of access to birth centers is even more shocking considering over 2.3 million women of reproduction age live in counties without any obstetric care providers – and birth centers could play a significant role in bridging that gap. Every Mother Counts supports high-value, evidence-based, and patient-centered models of care, including community birth centers. Learn more about & advocate for birth centers this #BirthCenterWeek2024 by following Birth Center Equity! #BCW24

ICYMI: If you watched this week’s debate, you heard about the post-Roe abortion restrictions that have resulted in women with treatable pregnancy complications being denied life-saving healthcare. Make no mistake about it – abortion care IS healthcare – and restrictions are damaging maternal health across the U.S. 🔗 Read one of the many devastating stories: https://bit.ly/4ejcVqm

📣 Paid family leave is a maternal health issue. More than half of maternal deaths occur during the postpartum period, yet this stage of pregnancy is often overlooked in maternal health policy. We cannot protect the health of mothers and parents without supporting them through this critical period. This #LaborDay, Every Mother Counts affirms the indisputable need for federally mandated paid family leave to address the maternal health crisis in the United States. If you want to learn more about why supportive policies like paid family leave are essential for mothers and birthing people during the postpartum period, watch our recent film Giving Birth in America: Arkansas: https://bit.ly/43qCtfn

Maternal deaths due to drug overdose skyrocketed between 2018 and 2021. Data suggests stigma and harmful misconceptions impede the provision of and access to quality care for pregnant people with substance use disorder. Today, on Overdose Awareness Day, tap the link in our bio to learn more. #OverdoseAware

“It’s not race itself that has an impact,” said Maria B. Ospina, a clinical epidemiologist and an associate professor at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. “…It is the experiences of racism and segregation that have affected every single aspect of African American women’s lives.” The tragic death of 30-year old Harmony Ball-Stribling while she was eight months pregnant is the outcome of the many systemic factors that contribute to the Black maternal health crisis in the U.S. 🔗 https://nyti.ms/4dSahI6

🌟 EMC is searching for a Director of Policy & Advocacy! 🌟 We're looking for a passionate leader with deep expertise and an intricate understanding of the U.S. maternal health policy landscape to build on and grow EMC’s policy and advocacy work. Sound like you or someone you know? 🔗 Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/3MipgyZ