• MHSP Priority Area: Addressing Health Related Social Needs
• Recommendation: Explore and support existing policies and programs to improve housing and food security and access to transportation for pregnant and postpartum individuals and their families.
• Actionable Strategies: Support CBOs responding to increased referrals
• Lead: ACLAMO
• Lead Web Site: https://aclamo.org/
• Progress: In Progress

  pdf Addressing Health Related Social Needs (HRSN) Actionable Strategies

ACLAMO will recieve $32,580 to provide care and expand their bilingual capacities to 120 pregnant and post-partum people in Montgomery County over 10 months. This care will help pregnant people progress toward health milestones.

• MHSP Priority Area: Addressing Health Related Social Needs
• Recommendation: Explore and support existing policies and programs to improve housing and food security and access to transportation for pregnant and postpartum individuals and their families.
• Actionable Strategies: Create a HRSN screen for pregnant and postpartum people
• Lead: Thomas Jefferson University
• Lead Web Site: https://research.jefferson.edu/connected-care-center.html
• Progress: In Progress

pdf Addressing Health Related Social Needs (HRSN) Actionable Strategies

Thomas Jefferson University will receive $53,000 to review existing HRSN screening tools, collect feedback from pregnant and postpartum people on HRSN screening questions and processes, and disseminate findings and recommendations across Pennsylvania.

• MHSP Priority Area: Addressing Health Related Social Needs
• Recommendation: Explore and support existing policies and programs to improve housing and food security and access to transportation for pregnant and postpartum individuals and their families.  
• Actionable Strategies: Create a Peer to Peer Learning Exchange for CBOs
• Lead: CAAP and PACDV
• Lead Web Site: https://www.thecaap.org/ https://www.pcadv.org/
• Progress: In Progress

Addressing Health Related Social Needs (HRSN) Actionable Strategies

The Community Action Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence will collectively receive $122,000 to work in partnership to build a Peer Learning Network Toolkit designed to increase collaboration between community-based organizations, managed care organizations, and other maternal health stakeholders in Pennsylvania. They will then establish and facilitate the peer-to-peer exchange.

• MHSP Priority Area: Expanding and Diversifying the Maternal Health Workforce
• Recommendation: Begin work to develop health care apprenticeship opportunities that focus on training underrepresented populations to expand the number of BIPOC midwives, doulas, community health workers, and home visitors to make maternal health care professions and paid training opportunities accessible.
• Actionable Strategies: Create a Doula Apprenticeship Toolkit
• Lead: PatientsRWaiting
• Lead Web Site: https://www.patientsrwaiting.com/
• Progress: In Progress

Expanding and Diversifying the Healthcare Workforce Actionable Strategies 

PatientsRWaiting will receive $50,000 to develop a doula apprenticeship toolkit to increase registered doula apprenticeship programs across Pennsylvania. Based in Lancaster, PatientsRWaiting founded the Diversifying Doulas Initiative which has been addressing the birthing needs of people of color since 2021. Building on their experience creating a doula apprenticeship program, they will investigate statewide barriers to and opportunities for creating an apprenticeship, including workforce development barriers and best practices, by engaging key stakeholders and conducting an environmental scan. Once created, the toolkit will be available to organizations interested in implementing a doula apprenticeship program.