Nationally and here in Colorado, we are seeing a rise in maternal mortality rates and widening disparities in maternal-child health outcomes. More than 2 million women of childbearing age in the United States live in maternity care deserts, areas without access to birthing facilities or maternity care providers. According to the March of Dimes, nearly 40% of Colorado counties are considered maternal health deserts, which is higher than the national average. Even in counties such as El Paso, Park and Teller that are not defined as maternal health deserts, significant challenges still exist including limited access to birthing hospitals and federally funded health care clinics that provide low-cost reproductive health services. In Park and Teller counties, women must travel an average of 38 and 29 miles, respectively, to reach the nearest birthing hospital. These three counties also report high percentages of women with chronic health conditions and preterm birth rates of more than 10%, which is above the national target of 9.4%.

High rates of maternal mortality disproportionately affect people of color, individuals living in poverty, those with less than a high school education, those over the age of 40, and those residing in rural areas. Causes of mortality range from conditions directly related to pregnancy including preeclampsia, to suicide, overdose, and motor vehicle crashes.

Colorado Community Health Alliance (CCHA) is working hard to address these troubling trends, increase access to care, and reduce health inequities. Supporting health holistically through the maternal-child health journey improves community health now and for generations to come. Families face enough obstacles – not having access to the care they need shouldn’t be one of them.

CCHA is the regional organization that administers physical and behavioral health benefits and coordinates care for more than 265,000 Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) members in Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, El Paso, Gilpin, Jefferson, Park and Teller counties. As of July 1, Health First Colorado coverage was expanded to include doula services for pregnant members. Last year, postpartum health coverage was also extended from 60 days to a full year following pregnancy. These changes help us advance our commitment to providing members with equitable and accessible maternal health resources. Our team members are deeply ingrained in the communities we serve because we live and work there, too. This allows us to work closely with local trusted community partners, physical and behavioral health care providers and government agencies to create a sustainable and accessible network of care for our members.

For example, CCHA partnered with Elephant Circle to expand its doula services for pregnant Health First Colorado members in El Paso and Teller counties. CCHA awarded Elephant Circle with $50,000 that was utilized to hire a new team member to lead service expansion efforts and cohort training over a six-month period, train and certify a cohort of approximately ten doulas, and provide approximately fifteen families with doula services at no out-of-pocket cost to the families.

CCHA also continued its support of longstanding community partner, WeeCycle, providing $163,000 in 2023 and $135,400 in 2024 to help the nonprofit distribute donated baby supplies, build and expand partnerships and grow its program service areas to the Colorado Springs area including El Paso, Park and Teller counties. WeeCycle’s mission is to recycle essential baby gear and match it to Colorado families in need. As a result of the funding support, WeeCycle successfully secured additional partnerships with key community organizations. As a result of the funding support in 2023, WeeCycle successfully secured additional partnerships with key community organizations and provided 21,722 Boulder and Colorado Springs area families with infants and toddlers with 93,232 items of essential baby gear and supplies including diapers, wipes, car seats, baby food and infant/toddler formula valued at nearly $340,000. The WeeCycle team also participated in a diversity, equity, and inclusion training with CCHA’s health equity consultant and is implementing strategies into their communication practices and programming.

Since 2022 CCHA and the El Paso County Nurse Family Partnership have worked together to co-facilitate quarterly Community Advisory Board Committee meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to address the physical, mental and psychosocial needs of pregnant and postpartum women and their newborns. Presentations provided during these meetings have included information on the Medicaid renewal process, Safe Families program, a prenatal series through the Pikes Peak Library District, Elephant Circle doula services, The Resource Exchange – a case management agency and their early intervention program, and county well visit and oral health data.

Through these collaborative efforts as well as regular review of state and county-specific data, CCHA will continue to improve maternal health outcomes for its members in Colorado Springs and beyond. Addressing this critical public health issue requires a multi-faceted approach that tackles the complex social, economic, and environmental factors. Only through collaborative, evidence-based action can we ensure equitable access to quality maternal care and reverse the tide of preventable maternal deaths. To learn more about CCHA and our maternal health resources, please visit CCHAcares.com/welcomebaby.

About the Author

Krista Newton, LCSW, is a director and care coordinator with Colorado Community Health Alliance. She has more than 20 years of clinical and care coordination experience, seven of which have been with CCHA.