Increasing Access to Quality Care
AHS offers an array of programs and initiatives to increase access to quality care in underserved communities. These are designed in collaboration with those served and are delivered by AHS providers and staff in partnership with local public health agencies and nonprofits that also serve these communities. They are customized to meet the needs of those served, delivered in accessible settings, are anti-racist and culturally attuned, and are continually evaluated. These include an intervention to eliminate racism-based inequities in cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment; one designed to eliminate racism in delivery of perinatal services and improve birth outcomes; and one that extends beyond the walls of AHS’s facilities into homeless shelters and encampments to deliver primary care and dental services.
“Finding and honoring patient autonomy is one of the most important things I can do. And making sure that a patient knows that every decision that’s made in the hospital is their decision and I’m here to support them.”
AMBER BELL | CERTIFIED NURSE-MIDWIFE, ALAMEDA HEALTH SYSTEM-HIGHLAND HOSPITAL
BElovedBIRTH Black Centering
A partnership between AHS’s Department of Obstetrics, Midwifery, and Gynecology and the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD), BElovedBIRTH Black Centering (BBBC) is an evidence-based, midwife-led, anti-racist perinatal program designed by and for Black birthing people. This bold, innovative program honors and celebrates Black birthing people. It addresses the serious inequities in maternal and infant health experienced by Black mothers, birthing people, and their babies, which result in disproportionately high rates of preventable morbidity and mortality in pregnancy and birth. The underlying cause of these inequities is racism: structural, institutional, and interpersonal. A racially-concordant adaptation of the CenteringPregnancy model supplemented with extensive wrap-around social support provided by ACPHD and local Black-led community organizations and Black-owned businesses, BBBC uses an all-Black team—including midwives, family support advocates, doulas, breastfeeding specialists, doctors, nutritionists, and psychologists—to care for cohorts of all Black participants.
“We envision a world where Black people have all the support, loving care, and resources needed to have happy, healthy, and safe pregnancies, births, and postpartum recoveries, free from obstetric racism.”
Jyesha Wren, CNM
Co-Founder and Director, BElovedBIRTH Black Centering
Program Impact
Reduction in Black maternal and infant morbidity and mortality
Improved birth experience
Reduced stress
Increased family and community bonding
“I’m very excited to be participating in this project because it’s empowering to believe that I/we can help improve the experiences of folks dealing with breast cancer.”
Denise Jenkins
Member of the Cancer Community Collaborative
Cancer Community Collaborative
In Alameda County cancer is the leading cause of death and Black residents experience higher than average incidence of many types of cancer. Research has found that Black patients are more likely to have delayed follow-up to abnormal screening tests, which results in greater cancer morbidity and mortality for Black people. At the root of these delays is systemic racism, which manifests in disparities in access to screening and delays in diagnosis for Black people. AHS’s Cancer Community Collaborative amplifies the voice and strengths of the Black community to identify and address the causes of disparities. The Collaborative is a partnership between members of the Black community and clinical and operational leaders at AHS that invites and empowers community members to shape the design and approach to eliminating racism-based delays, in the time from screening to cancer diagnosis for Black patients.
“I’m very excited to be participating in this project because it’s empowering to believe that I/we can help improve the experiences of folks dealing with breast cancer.”
Denise Jenkins
Member of the Cancer Community Collaborative
Program Impact
More timely diagnosis of cancer and earlier cancer staging
Earlier initiation of treatment
Community empowerment
Reduced institutional racism
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