For some, prenatal care is a community affair

To educate and prepare new mothers, Centering Pregnancy and Centering Parenting sites in the United States offer community-based patient-centered care in low-income areas. Centering offers interactive learning, check-ups, and social support, so that women can take charge of their health.

In Kern County, where pregnancy-related mortality rates are more than double the California average and Black mothers face life-threatening complications at nearly three times the rate of white women, community doulas are working to bridge the gap between patients and the medical system. Since California expanded Medi-Cal coverage to include doula services in January 2023, more than 1,400 doulas have enrolled statewide, with active training pipelines building the workforce locally.

The Mamacare Foundation has trained over 860 traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in hygiene, safe delivery practices, danger-sign recognition, and timely referral systems over the past decade to improve maternal care in the region. The program pairs each TBA with a supervising midwife, creating a collaborative bridge between traditional and modern maternal care. The training has increased referrals from TBAs to clinics by 40%, and district hospitals report fewer emergency cases arriving in critical condition since the Foundation has formed.

The Majalisa Forum model embeds childbirth spacing conversations into existing male gathering spaces, leveraging trained male health educators to discuss reproductive health through storytelling, peer dialogue, and religious references. The approach encourages men to see birth spacing as a joint family decision rather than solely a woman's responsibility. More than 50 men participate daily across different forum sessions, and since the initiative started, local health clinics are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of patients who come in each day for childbirth spacing services.

In 2025, Bauchi State launched the Impact Project to address Nigeria's maternal health crisis by deploying 100 Skilled Birth Attendants across 20 Local Government Areas, alongside free delivery kits and regular salary payments to increase access to professional childbirth care.

The Bauchi State Impact Project aims to improve maternal and newborn health by training 100 people to become skilled birth attendants. Despite infrastructure challenges, the Project not only provides work and purpose to those trained, but also helps make childbirth safer by providing much-needed care.

The Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council implemented a comprehensive national family planning program that offers integrated reproductive health services delivered through multiple channels including local clinics, mobile outreach units, community health workers, and youth-friendly centers. The program provides access to contraceptives, counseling, and peer education to address maternal mortality and unplanned pregnancy rates. Over the past decade, maternal mortality has dropped by 78%, and unintended pregnancies have also significantly decreased.

In an effort to address maternal mortality rates and overall maternal health conditions, groups of midwives are hosting community dialogue sessions that serve as educational opportunities for preventing danger. Maternal and infant mortality rates have already begun to decrease, and midwives also provide support beyond education, giving mothers food and other supplies as needed.

The Mentor Mother Program in Siaya County, Kenya, trains women living with HIV to provide peer support, counseling, and treatment assistance to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. Mentor mothers serve as the link between communities and health facilities, tracking appointments, conducting home visits, running support groups and encouraging male partner testing. With the program’s help, the region’s transmission rate dropped from 21% in 2015 to 4.3% in 2022.

Several doctors are working together to integrate oral health into medical checkups for children, pregnant women and others who can’t afford or access a dentist. With the help of a five-year, $6 million federal grant, a team of doctors and dental hygienists has trained 250 primary care providers in how to provide oral health care in several states, allowing patients to access dental care during regular checkups.