How Community Health Workers Dramatically Improve Healthcare

Traditional birth attendants provide maternal care to women in hard to reach areas. With government help through the Mama2Mama program, several TBAs are undergoing training to provide safer, more effective maternal care.

Throughout Sokoto State in Nigeria, community conversations are taking place as part of an awareness campaign to encourage community members to change their perceptions of maternal health and safe-birth practices. The conversations, which are held with both women and men's groups, have resulted in an increase in health center visits and family planning outreach.

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.

Women volunteers with PHC Kara are going into the community to share important healthcare information with pregnant women, in an effort to improve maternal and infant mortality rates and health outcomes. The group has also received support and recognition from UNICEF’S Mama2Mama healthcare initiative and Rural Health Mission Nigeria, providing them with clean birth kits and other supplies to distribute to women.

Making the services of midwives accessible to displaced mothers living in refugee camps requires training and trust. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the government of Bangladesh are working to support clinics and train individuals who wish to work as midwives in the midst of the Rohingya refugee crisis. Providing women in camps with quality reproductive health requires not only the mentorship of international experts, but also personal efforts to gain the trust of women by local professionals.

Expecting mothers, especially young ones, can often feel scared and unprepared about the pregnancy process. Maternity meeting groups help them gain more support and knowledge about their future pregnancies.

Studies show group prenatal care leads to better birth outcomes when compared against standard care. Centering Pregnancy in San Francisco is a space for women with similar gestational ages to meet, learn about self-care, and have facilitated group discussions.

Through the mDoc NudgeHub, Lagos residents can access health screenings, coaching, and health education at one of five hubs across the state. People who use the in-person services may be referred to health centers for more in-depth care or receive virtual coaching and education. More than 4,000 women have been served by the hubs so far.

Village Health Teams are groups of community health workers helping rural women access family planning services. They travel from home to home offering counseling, education and connection to the resources women need but struggle to access, including condoms and pills, often all without having to visit a health facility. VHTs have reached several thousand residents, both with short and long-term contraceptive methods.