Ascension Wisconsin maternity care teams work to help solve local Black maternal health disparities

“Black mothers receive care that is one and a half times worse than non-Hispanic white mothers, and their maternal mortality rate is approximately 2.9 times higher,” shared Tamiyka Folds, Labor and Delivery Manager at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s - Milwaukee Campus. 

She and her colleague Kathlyn Tambellini, Director of Labor and Delivery at Ascension St. Joseph Hospital, are on the front lines of the effort to bridge this gap of the maternal health disparities in America’s healthcare system. Despite advancements in maternal care, the need for targeted attention on Black maternal health has never been more urgent. 

The importance of addressing Black maternal health

Tamiyka sees many expecting mothers within labor and delivery, and one thing she noticed in the challenges Black mothers encounter include having pre-existing medical conditions that put their pregnancy at risk. “In labor and delivery, we see a lot of Black and Brown moms with co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension,” she explained. 

These health challenges, combined with social determinants such as limited access to healthcare, transportation, childcare, and a lack of understanding about their diagnoses, can greatly impact the quality of care Black women receive during pregnancy and childbirth. “It’s my team’s responsibility to step in, provide care, and help close that gap,” Tamiyka said.

Addressing the unique needs of Black mothers at Ascension Wisconsin

To address the healthcare gap for Black expecting mothers, Ascension Wisconsin has designed programs to address their unique needs. One such program is “Baby Bucks,” which expecting mothers earn by attending their OB appointments and can use to “buy” items like blankets, car seats and pack-and-plays. This program helps eliminate some of the burdens that come with pregnancy for mothers with limited resources.

Tamiyka explained how education is key to improving maternal care for Black women and the importance of training staff to be advocates for patients. Her team does role-play drills to help prepare for different scenarios. "We emphasize the importance of listening to and advocating for our patients,” she said. “I’m blessed to have a staff that will argue anyone down when they know something is wrong [with a patient]. They will absolutely step up and speak their minds.” At Ascension St. Joseph, their programs for Black expecting mothers focus on anemia and hypertension. The hospital serves a predominantly Black population, and the maternity care teams saw a need to develop a best-practice anemia protocol that has now been implemented nationally. The Ascension Maternal Health Social Systems Initiative, piloted at St. Joseph’s in 2019, addresses the needs of expecting mothers, improving outcomes through programs like labor and lactation support, maternal health navigators, prenatal classes, free childcare during OB appointments and walk-in pregnancy testing.

Empowering Black mothers to advocate for themselves

Tamiyka has seen that patients who advocate for themselves are more likely to have their needs addressed, as her team makes an effort to ensure clear communication and build trust. She encourages mothers to ask for clarification if needed. “Speak up. No question is stupid when it comes to your health or your child’s,” she advised. 

Progress and hope for the future of Black maternal health

While Tamiyka acknowledges the progress at Ascension Wisconsin, she remains committed to further improvement. “Black maternal health is no longer being ignored, and we’re facing the issue head-on. You can’t fix a problem without facing it” she said. 

Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s - Milwaukee reviews all of their maternity patients’ re-admission cases to look for any opportunities for improvement year after year. The hospital is also involved in Wisconsin’s Maternal Mortality Review Team (MMRT) and the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR), which further strengthens efforts to address disparities and refine care practices. Ascension St. Joseph is also involved in reviewing patient data to improve outcomes for Black mothers. “When reviewing quality data, we not only analyze it overall for all patients, but also break it down by race, comparing Black and non-Black patients,” Kathlyn said. 

Looking ahead, Tamiyka and Kathlyn hope to continue advocating for change, both locally and nationally, to bridge the gaps in care and inspire others in the field.

Learn more about maternal health care services at Ascension Wisconsin at ascension.org.