JHF Approves Funding for Maternal Health Programs Across Pennsylvania
Type: News
Focus Area: Women’s Health
ACLAMO’s Safe Haven Food Pantry continues to support the Norristown community in the fight against food insecurity, ensuring community members are treated with dignity and respect while receiving healthy, fresh food.
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF), serving as fiscal agent for federal Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds allocated through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, continues to advance a bold, multi-year investment in maternal health innovation across the Commonwealth.
To date, JHF has awarded nearly $9 million in grants as part of this Maternal Health Fund to support transformative projects across a range of programming. Funding areas include testing innovative strategies to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and better support new families, exploring ways to increase access to and use of fresh and healthy foods for pregnant people and their families, providing access to doula care to incarcerated women, and building infrastructure to increase access to perinatal psychiatry and addiction medicine expertise for perinatal health providers across the Commonwealth.
JHF also redirected funds originally budgeted for internal grant administration to expand awards for high-performing maternal care innovation and healthy food access grantees, increasing the total awards given by over $500,000. Interest accrued over the course of the grant is being reinvested to strengthen the Perinatal TiPS Program and to support the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PA PQC) and a statewide Maternal Health Symposium on May 20, 2026. The symposium will convene members of the PA PQC, the Pennsylvania Perinatal Action Collaborative, and Maternal Health Fund awardees to share what they have learned and connect with other organizations focused on maternal health to continue to expand and amplify the initiative’s impact.
By 2025, all Maternal Health Fund dollars were fully under contract, with many projects completed or nearing completion in 2026. The programs reflect the breadth of the Fund’s approach — addressing clinical care, workforce diversity, social drivers of health, and support for marginalized populations.
In Erie, BirthRoot — a community-based doula and midwifery service — is providing comprehensive doula care to incarcerated women at the State Correctional Facility Cambridge Springs. The program ensures continuous prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum support, an approach embraced by both the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the Department of Human Services. BirthRoot’s leadership in this area has gained national recognition: two of its doulas were accepted into the Ostara Initiative’s National Advanced Prison Doula Certification program, strengthening care for this highly vulnerable population.
“Since launching, our doulas have served 14 expectant parents and attended eight births, medical appointment accompaniment, providing prenatal education, labor support, postpartum care, and even in one case, bereavement support. Participants consistently share that they are ‘grateful not to have to birth alone’ and value having a friendly, familiar face present during labor and restoring humanity to their birth experience,” said Tica Nickson, BirthRoot’s founder and executive director.
After donor milk is thawed and cooled, it is gently mixed to ensure consistency before being bottled into sterile, BPA-free bottles sealed with tamper-resistant caps. Bottles are then pasteurized and tested frozen and distributed by The Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank by hospital order or prescription to NICUs and outpatient families.
The Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank is expanding access to safe, ethically-sourced donor milk for medically fragile infants across the state. To reduce barriers and increase awareness, the organization is using its funding award to establish a web-based education center featuring video content, clinician webinars, conferences, and educational materials. Through outreach campaigns and professional engagement, the Milk Bank is reinforcing the importance and benefits of human milk for vulnerable newborns.
"The support from the Maternity Care Innovation Grant enabled us to implement technologies and develop tools that collectively have helped hospitals educate families, alleviate access issues, enhance efficiency, and streamline the screening process for the heroes that make the milk bank possible- the generous milk donors. As a growing nonprofit milk bank facing escalating demand for our services, this has been a game changer, and we are not the same organization as we were at the beginning of the grant," said Denise O'Connor, executive director and co-founder of The Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank.
Participants at the Ascending Black Midwife professional mentor retreat.
To diversify Pennsylvania’s birthing workforce, the Pennsylvania Academy of Certified Nurse Midwives is providing scholarships for Black women pursuing midwifery education. The organization's long-term goal is to increase access to racially concordant reproductive and primary care to reduce racial disparities in pregnancy and healthcare outcomes. Expanding representation in midwifery aligns with priorities outlined in the Pennsylvania Maternal Health Strategic Plan and directly addresses long-standing racial disparities in maternal health outcomes.
The Maternal Innovation Grant funds have been used to provide 21 scholarships to Pennsylvania Black student midwives spanning five midwifery programs. Additionally, we have coordinated an innovative and rewarding “Ascending Black Midwife” professional mentorship retreat, enabling scholarship awardees to engage in mentorship from experienced midwives and connect with their peers in Pennsylvania.
"We believe that our programming, including the retreat design, implementation, and impacts measured to date, is producing results that are unparalleled in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and could be a model for important change across the United States," said Kathleen Nishida Kathleen Nishida CNM, PhD, chair of the HEAR Committee of PACNM.
Adagio Health is addressing food insecurity, a key social driver of maternal and infant health, by expanding food cupboards and mobile clinic services for WIC participants across Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Indiana, and Lawrence counties. The organization has also established teaching kitchens to equip families with practical nutrition skills and promote lifelong healthy eating habits. By pairing food access with hands-on education, Adagio is strengthening both immediate and long-term health outcomes.
In Montgomery County, ACLAMO (Acción Comunal Latino Americana de Montgomery County) is supporting low-income Latino and Spanish-speaking pregnant women through bilingual system navigation, case management, peer support groups, caregiver workshops, and providing essential supplies for new families. Through a separate Healthy Food Access award, ACLAMO also operates a community pantry that provides nutritious food to pregnant women and their families while connecting them to community health workers, social services, and other supports.
“Many of the mothers who come to ACLAMO arrive feeling afraid and alone, navigating pregnancy and early motherhood without a strong support system. Through consistent care navigation, education, and peer support, we see fear transform to confidence. Mothers tell us they feel more prepared to advocate for their health and guide their children’s development,” said Mony Salas, Health Promotion and Wellness Programs Manager at ACLAMO. “For 49 years, ACLAMO has stood beside families during moments of uncertainty. We remain committed to ensuring that every mother who walks through our doors feels seen, supported, and empowered.”
As implementation continues through 2026, these investments are strengthening Pennsylvania’s maternal health ecosystem and laying the groundwork for lasting improvements in outcomes for birthing people and their families.
