Maternal mortality is a serious public health issue in Pennsylvania, with a pregnancy-associated mortality rate of 82 deaths per 100,000 live births. Race, pre-existing health conditions, social determinants of health, and early access to prenatal care have all been linked as contributing factors of poor maternal outcomes. The Jewish Healthcare Fou...

WHAMglobal was designed to concentrate on an area of women's health for a period of time, drive and hopefully document significant progress, and then address another area in need of the same attention and action. On Thursday, March 23, the WHAMglobal board convened to focus on a new topic, Women's Health Inequity in Older Age. An exceptional cohort...

A kickoff session was held June 14 for the new Perinatal Health Equity Champions Program, a year-long engagement model designed to build capacity in the birthing workforce to help address racial disparities and improve maternal health care in the Pittsburgh region. The cohort includes 14 Champions from 10 different organizations including doulas, a...

On June 22, the Health Careers Futures (HCF) and WHAMglobal boards convened in a joint meeting to discuss the evolution, impact, and future of the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PA PQC) and related maternal health efforts. Debra L. Caplan, MPA, chair of WHAMglobal and Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) boards, and Patricia L. Siger, ...

WHAMglobal's Birthing a Movement multi-day event and exhibit at the Three Rivers Arts Festival received a great reception over the first weekend of June. Birthing a Movement included commissioned artwork, interactive artwork, local birthworkers discussing their work, and Anthropology of Motherhood's "Culture of Care Exhibit," a combination showcasi...