Money for maternal health
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The Dallas Foundation will invest $2 million toward improving pediatric and maternal health in underserved parts of Dallas County, the foundation announced this week.
Why it matters: The foundation hopes to address what it calls a "clear maternal health crisis" in North Texas, saying complications during pregnancy and birth are costly, hurt worker productivity and impact the next generation of workers.
Threat level: Nationally and in Texas, Black and Hispanic women have significantly higher rates of mortality and complications compared to white women.
- Black women in Texas had the highest rate of hospitalizations related to severe maternal morbidity— 130 per 10,000 hospitalizations — in 2023, per the state's latest data.
Zoom in: In Dallas County, the infant mortality rate increased by more than 6% from 2013-23, per the Dallas Foundation.
What they're doing: The foundation's grants will be split between the Child Poverty Action Lab and the Parkland Health Foundation over the next four years.
- The Child Poverty Action Lab will use the funds on contraceptive care accessibility, data-informed strategies for reducing severe complications and a regional platform aimed at improving the birthing experience at more than two dozen local hospitals.
- Parkland plans to expand its postpartum nurse home visits to every Dallas County ZIP code and establish a service line for prenatal, maternity and postpartum care at 10 primary clinics and its Medical District hospital. The funding would also be spent on mental health support and doula programs.