In 2022, HOPE for Georgia Moms was tasked with creating a 5-year strategic plan to improve maternal health in the state. The Strategic Plan from Sept. 2025 starts with an overview of existing maternal health initiatives, listing successes as well as gaps or weaknesses in what is happening across programs and policy. The document also introduces members of the Georgia Maternal Health Task and states the goals of HOPE for Georgia Moms, which is the name given to the State Maternal Health Innovation Program. And finally, there is an Action Plan for how strategies affecting direct clinical care, policy, data, and community engagement will make a difference in maternal mortality and health equity.
In the current focus areas, we are addressing maternal cardiac signs & symptoms, providing mental health resources, exploring maternal health data systems, and training advocacy skills for use in the community and health care.
Cardiac Conditions in Obstetric Care
Cardiac Conditions is a leading cause of maternal death in Georgia. The combination of cardiomyopathy and cardiovascular/coronary conditions accounted for 23% of maternal deaths.
Goals:
- Increase CVD screening across health care settings that see pregnant and postpartum women
- Disseminate the use of remote and self-monitoring by pregnant and postpartum women
Care Access
Doulas and other perinatal support persons play a pivotal role in removing barriers to birthing education, advocacy, and labor support.
Goals:
- Create educational materials on perinatal professionals
- Support perinatal support professionals in hospital settings
- Support the newly established Georgia Community Doula Coalition
Maternal Mental Health
Maternal mental health became a leading cause of maternal death in Georgia. The statistics on maternal mental health show 1 in 5 pregnant people will experience depression or anxiety while pregnant and/or postpartum. A major contribution to the problem is that more than half of the counties in Georgia have neither a psychiatrist nor an obstetrician. Family physicians and internists are also in short supply throughout the state.
PEACE (Perinatal Psychiatry, Education, Access and Community Engagement) for Moms is a collaborative partnership between Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Health and the Georgia Department of Public Health, and aims to reduce health disparities and improve healthy birth outcomes throughout the state of Georgia.
Goals:
- Increase awareness and provider engagement with PEACE for Moms
- Establish a Maternal Peer Support Academy for maternal health
Maternal Health Data
Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) includes unexpected serious complications resulting from labor and birth that can have significant short term and/or long-term impact on maternal health (CDC). There is currently a need for a more accurate and timely way to monitor the overall burden of SMM to track the impact of maternal health programs and quality improvement initiatives and have transparency to that data.
Goals:
- Enhance understanding of SMM and SDOH data use and access
Advocacy & Respectful Care
Speaking up for yourself or your loved one during pregnancy is super important. By advocating for yourself, you can make sure you’re getting the right care and support for a healthier outcome. It’s crucial for every pregnant person to feel empowered to stand up for themselves and make sure their voice is heard.
Goals:
- Create self-advocacy material and tools in different languages and disseminate throughout the state
- Elevate a provider rating system to identify equitable birthing facilities and providers for expecting parents
- Increase Persons with Lived Experience who serve in leadership roles like the GA Maternal Health Task Force