The MolinaCares Accord Donates $100,000 to Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition to Improve Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes
Ben Jackey, Ben.Jackey@molinahealthcare.com, (502) 377-9484
DETROIT, Sept. 20, 2023 – The MolinaCares Accord (“MolinaCares”), in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Michigan (“Molina”), presented a $100,000 donation to the Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition (“SEMPQIC”) to support expanded implicit bias training for providers. The comprehensive training initiative will equip health care providers and community-based organizations with resources to address racial inequities in care that are a barrier to positive infant and maternal health outcomes among historically marginalized populations.
In Michigan, Black and Brown communities are disproportionally impacted by infant and maternal deaths. In 2021, Black infants accounted for 44% of infant deaths despite only making up about 18% of total births. Black women in Michigan are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white women. According to SEMPQIC’s Detroit Health Equity Dashboard, Detroit, with a 77.1% Black population, saw infant mortality rates more than double that of Michigan’s overall mortality rate. Yet, data show 62% of those maternal deaths overall were preventable.
“We believe one of the best investments we can make in our communities is to ensure infants have a healthy start and to protect the health of their mothers” said Terrisca Des Jardins, plan president for Molina Healthcare of Michigan. “We’re proud to support SEMPQIC to expand implicit bias training, as part of a larger, multi-pronged approach to better support providers, hospitals, and community organizations to more equitably serve Black and Brown women and families in Detroit and Southeast Michigan.”
The program will encompass in-person training, videos, webinars, and an online resource library. The implementation of cultural competency training for primary care providers will help improve patient communication, patient trust, and patient satisfaction, and will ultimately help address implicit bias and racial discrimination in care, directly leading to healthier outcomes for women and families.
The funding will also enable SEMPQIC to train providers, community organizations, and hospital associations on how to support patients through the Medicaid redetermination process to ensure all patients have continuous health care coverage.
“By training providers and community leaders, we can reach thousands of new mothers and their infant children, saving precious lives right here in Southeast Michigan,” said Vernice Anthony, lead consultant for SEMPQIC. “By ensuring that newborns and their mothers have continuous health care coverage, we can make sure every child has access to the care they need to get the healthy start they deserve. We’re very grateful for the support from MolinaCares to continue our work on behalf of infants and moms in Metro Detroit toward more equitable health and health care outcomes.”
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About The MolinaCares Accord
Established by Molina Healthcare, Inc., The MolinaCares Accord oversees a community investment platform created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities. The MolinaCares Accord funds such measures through The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) established in 2020 by Molina Healthcare, Inc.
About Molina Healthcare of Michigan
Molina Healthcare of Michigan has been providing government-funded health care since 1997. The Company serves members through Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare-Medicaid (Duals), and Health Insurance Exchange programs throughout Michigan. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company (currently ranked 126), provides managed healthcare services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. Molina Healthcare served approximately 5.2 million members as of June 30, 2023, located across 19 states. For more information about Molina Healthcare of Michigan, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.
About Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition
The Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition, representing Oakland, Macomb and Wayne County, including the City of Detroit, is one of ten regional coalitions created by the State of Michigan.
Their mission is to reduce the disparity between Black and white adverse maternal, perinatal and infant outcomes, including infant and maternal mortality, by creating a coordinated, equitable and sustainable network for perinatal care based on best practices, evidence based and innovative community solutions that will result in system changes and improved birth outcomes for all babies born in southeast Michigan.