HealthCare Access Maryland (HCAM) is thrilled to announce its newest program, Maternal Health Outcomes (MHO). The Maternal Health Outcomes program kicked off its programming on July 1, 2022 and has received funding for two years from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (MCHRC). With the Maryland Health Department announcement in March 2022 of the expanded Medicaid coverage for new mothers, postpartum coverage will now last for twelve months. 

The Maternal Health Outcomes program aspires to improve access to primary care physicians to Medicaid-Eligible, post-partum patients that have delivered at Mercy Medical Center. These individuals must also be living in Baltimore City, and experiencing hypertension, pre-eclampsia and/or diabetes. A key intervention of the program addresses social determinants of health (non-medical factors that influence health outcomes) related to community participants and connects them to community-based resources that have a focus on health and social needs.  

Goals of the program:

• Provide short-term care coordination to Postpartum, Medicaid Receipent and Baltimore City resident participants.  
• Coordinate the primary and specialty medical care as it relates to hypertension and/or diabetes management for the identified postpartum participants.  
• Assess and address the social determinants of health needs to optimize the utilization of Medicaid benefits.   
• Address hypertension and diabetes to improve maternal morbidity and mortality. 

Our Maternal Health Outcomes team consists of a staff of three individuals – two Community Health Workers and one Program Manager. Our MHO team is extremely invested in the work that this program is doing with Baltimore City residents and has a lean background in public health, maternal child health, and healthcare. 

Meet the Maternal Health Outcomes team! 

Sade’ Watson, Program Manager – “Maternal, Child & Family health is truly a passion of mine. The saying “It takes a village to raise a child” holds very true. I love being a support to families as they take on parenthood and all the great adventures it has to offer. I have worked with and supported families at group homes, homeless shelters, transitioning housing, and community home visiting”. 

Teonia Clark, Community Health Worker – “I have worked in healthcare for 24 years with experience in many disciplines, including a degree in Radiation Oncology from Howard University. I love helping our communities to learn, grow and heal. I love family time and traveling”.  

Melanie Jones, Community Health Worker – “I am so excited to be a part of the MHO team! My background is in public health (family science) which allows me to apply my education to my work duties. Being able to work with the postpartum population has been a great experience so far that has brought much gratification.” 

Sade Watson, who leads the team, shared that she is excited to have the role as the Program Manager of the Maternal Health Outcomes Program as it is an opportunity that she is grateful for due to her personal experience with giving birth to her two daughters. When Sade was pregnant with both of her girls in 2012 and 2016, she was diagnosed with preeclampsia – a severe blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy. This caused her to deliver both of her children at 27 and 28 weeks (about 6 and a half months gestational age). Having this experience twice was very traumatic for Sade and her family as she was the first person in her immediate family to have had this diagnosis and had no known previous information about it. Being given this opportunity to educate and support her team and the moms in the MHO program on chronic health conditions and postpartum health is something that she will be able to speak to from experience. 

The Maternal Health Outcomes program’s very first client, Dai’Jeira, shared her experience working with the MHO team, the program, and HCAM. “I have loved every moment working with this program. I was nervous after having my baby girl, and they helped me in every way possible. They helped me with getting transportation to my appointments, scheduling my appointments for therapy, insurance, mother classes, and more. I would suggest that every new mother, or even current mothers, enroll in this program. They care about you and your family, and they treat you like family here.”  

HCAM is dedicated to improving maternal health outcomes for our delivering populations. Our Maternal Health Outcomes specifically works with postpartum moms who delivered at Mercy Medical Center. If you or someone you know could benefit from this program, please reach out to Sade Watson at swatson@hcamaryland.org for more information.