Maternal and Infant Health in New York State

Maternal and Infant Health

Children are better poised for success in school and in life when they have a healthy start. A healthy start requires comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care, access to health insurance for expectant families, and access to additional services for those with special or high needs.

Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy complications than White women in New York State. New York State must do more to support women of color — especially Black women — with anti-racist and anti-discriminatory prenatal and perinatal care and high-quality postpartum mental health services.

Our Equity-Centered Approach

To support the health and wellness of young children and their families in New York State, we advocate for comprehensive systems change to achieve equitable and timely access to prenatal and postpartum programs. These programs include Early Intervention access, expanded continuous Medicaid coverage for birthing parents and children up to age six, WIC, SNAP, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory maternal health and mental health supports, and increased access to home visiting programs.

Latest Resource

On the Blog: Parents, Providers, and Stakeholders Share Advantages and Disadvantages of Early Intervention Telehealth Services

When the coronavirus pandemic hit New York, providers had to transition to leading early intervention programs from in person to teletherapy tools to continue to support families. The lessons learned from this experience — whether they are strengths or weaknesses — have the potential to help improve equitable access to early intervention services for infants and toddlers in New York.

Featured Reports and Resources Over the Years

Resource: Early Intervention Telehealth Recommendations

In fall 2021, Raising NY hosted a virtual convening on telehealth and shared their experiences and insights on the benefits of telehealth and how the State can improve telehealth as a service delivery model.

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Blog: Racist Disparities in Health Care

The disproportionate statistics associated with the birthing experiences of Black women compared to other races is stark. In this blog post, Chanel Jones describes her birth experience, and details how she had to advocate for herself. She sees her how her experience as a Black woman differs from that of other mothers.

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Blog: How Better Screening and More Information Can Help New Mothers

About one in seven mothers in New York State reported postpartum depressive and anxiety symptoms after giving birth. Yet, in a group of about eight mothers who work with the Postpartum Resource Center of New York, almost none of them had heard of the diagnosis, despite having shown symptoms of the condition. This blog explores their experiences.

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Blog: Faced With Limited Resources, New Mothers Get By Finding Their Own Support

This blog highlights how new mothers, particularly in underserved communities, often face significant challenges accessing adequate support for themselves and their babies. In the absence of sufficient systemic resources, many rely on their own networks and creativity to find support, such as turning to family, friends, and community groups.

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Data Snapshot

Black birthing people died

the rate of White birthing people from pregnancy or childbirth.

*New York State Department Maternal Mortality Report, 2024

Only

%

of Black children receive Early Intervention services on time, compared to 60% of White children.

*The Children’s Agenda Report, 2024