Data Roadmap for Racial Equity Advancement in Maternal and Child Health (DREAM)
ASTHO, funded by the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health, led the DREAM Learning Community to build state maternal and child health programs’ capacity to address racial inequities using the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Racial Equity Data Roadmap. In its second phase, DREAM 2.0 engaged state Title V programs to apply the Roadmap to National Performance Measures, tailoring capacity-building activities based on state assessments co-developed with NICHQ, which also conducted a mixed methods formative evaluation to guide ASTHO’s efforts.
A strong body of research indicates that Black and Indigenous populations face disproportionately worse maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes relative to other racial and ethnic groups. States MCH programs often struggle to use data effectively to identify and address these racial inequities due to the complexity of systemic disparities and gaps in data collection, analysis, interpretation, and application. To support states, ASTHO, funded by the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health, developed the DREAM Learning Community (LC) to build state capacity for using data to identify, understand, and address racial inequities, utilizing the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Racial Equity Data Roadmap.
Building on lessons from the first cohort, ASTHO launched DREAM 2.0, which engaged state Title V programs to apply the Racial Equity Data Roadmap to one of two National Performance Measures: postpartum visits or children’s medical homes. Taking a data-informed approach, DREAM 2.0 tailored its capacity-building and technical assistance activities based on state assessments co-developed with the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ). NICHQ also conducted a mixed-methods formative evaluation using the assessment data to guide and enhance ASTHO’s DREAM LC activities, ensuring alignment with state-specific needs.
Who
NICHQ and ASTHO, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Our Role
Completed a formative evaluation to inform Learning Community activities
Funder
CDC
Project Impact
External Resources
Using Data to Advance Racial Equity: Lessons from the DREAM Learning Community
This brief describes how the Data Road Map for Racial Equity Advancement in Maternal and Child Health (DREAM) Learning Community highlighted underrepresented communities in data, rebuilt relationships with communities, and embraced structural change for community-led efforts.
The Power of PQCs
Video showing the impact that PQCs have on the communities they serve. Produced by the NNPQC.
PQCs in the News
Articles in news outlets covering state PQCs, their activities, and the people that work in the collaboratives.
Patient Safety Bundles
From the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health. PSBs are collections of evidence-informed best practices that address clinically specific conditions in pregnant and postpartum people. The NNPQC helps provide TA and support to PQCs in adopting the core AIM Perinatal Mental Health Bundle.
Perinatal Quality Collaboratives
The CDC’s landing page for PQCs, including helpful infographics, videos, and links to help explain what PQCs are, how they work, and stories, learnings, and publications that have come out of the state PQCs.
Related Content
Resources produced by the Data Roadmap for Racial Equity Advancement in Maternal and Child Health (DREAM) project or on related topics
Meet Our Team
“In our deep organizational work to move along the Equity Systems Continuum from a Savior-Designed System to an Equity-Empowered System, we acknowledge the power of action. The potential is limitless for today’s commitments to improve the systems in which health care and public health professionals work and families receive care.”
