The CVS Health Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $6.6 million to three organizations working to remove barriers to maternal health services, bridge the gap to quality care, and expand the doula workforce to reflect the communities it serves. 

The foundation awarded $1.66 million over three years to Massachusetts General Hospital, $4 million over five years to March of Dimes, and $1 million over two years to the American Heart Association. Each grant is focused on improving maternal health outcomes for historically marginalized communities by addressing the conditions most often associated with maternal mortality and severe morbidity.

Mass General will use its grant to support its Mass General Brigham (MGB) DrEaMH (Driving Equity and Maternal Health outcomes) Initiative. The grant to March of Dimes will enable the organization to expand doula care regionally, diversify the doula workforce, and provide educational materials to consumers and healthcare providers that highlight the benefits of doula care. The American Heart Association will use its grant to address hypertension, which is a key risk factor in the most common killer of new mothers. 

“Black women have a maternal mortality rate 2.6 times higher than white women, and studies continue to show that over 80 percent of maternal deaths in the U.S. could have been preventable,” said CVS Health senior vice president of corporate social responsibility and chief sustainability officer Sheryl Burke. “By collaborating locally with organizations who know the community best, we are working to diversify the doula workforce, and bring maternal health services and educational resources to the people that need it most.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/kali9)