Hear Her Evaluation and Community-Based Organization Implementation

Community-Based Organizations Join the Campaign to Share Maternal Health Messaging

Several women’s health and health equity organizations across the country have joined the national effort to raise awareness about the urgent maternal warning signs that could signal potentially life-threatening complications during and within the year after pregnancy. 

 After helping to develop and share messaging for American Indian/Alaska Native communities (link), the Foundation is expanding the reach of the Hear Her® campaign to more local areas by funding six community-based organizations (CBOs) to utilize and share resources about these signs. Each CBO plans a tailored approach to integrate the Hear Her resources into their existing maternal health programming and deliver these critical messages to communities most disproportionally impacted by maternal mortality.

For example, though overall rates for maternal mortality in the U.S. declined 10.6 points from 2021 to 2022 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate for Black women was 49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births and was notably higher than rates for White (19.0), Hispanic (16.9) and Asian (13.2) women.

The Hear Her® campaign encourages partners, family, friends and healthcare professionals to really listen and offer help to people who are pregnant or postpartum when they share their health concerns. 

The six CBOs receiving funding through this project in 2024 are: 

• The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health  is a non-profit, community-based organization located in Brooklyn, NY with a mission to promote health equity and social justice through the establishment of strategic partnerships, health education programs and research initiatives.
• Baltimore Healthy Start is a community-based nonprofit organization based in Baltimore, MD with a 32-year history of providing direct services to pregnant and postpartum women and investing in the health and well-being of Baltimore’s families. 
• BLKHLTH is an Atlanta, GA-based non-profit with a mission to advance health equity in Black communities through antiracist education, advocacy, research and programs. BLKHLTH serves as a bridge between health institutions and Black communities. 
• Generate Health STL, based in St. Louis, MO, is a diverse coalition of nearly 300 organizations who share a common goal to accelerate positive change for Black moms, babies and families in the St. Louis region.  
• Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, based in Honolulu, is committed to improving Hawaii’s maternal, child, and family health through collaborative efforts in programs, public education, advocacy and partner development. 
• Well Child Center, located in Elgin, IL, provides health and social services for low-income families by maintaining programs to help children, women and families thrive. 

Learn more about the campaign and available resources at CDC.gov/HearHer. For more information, please reach out to Tiffany Winter at twinter@cdcfoundation.org.

Hear Her® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.