Black maternal health week: supporting families beyond delivery

• Published: 4/13/2026

Expanding access and support for healthier moms and babies

Expecting a child should be a time of hope and joy, but too many women in Texas face preventable complications during and after pregnancy. Approximately four out of five pregnancy-related complications or deaths are preventable.

At Parkland Health, providers see firsthand how these challenges affect families across Dallas County – particularly for Black women, who face the highest risk of maternal mortality.

Many of the most serious risks occur after a baby is born. Most pregnancy-related deaths happen between 61 days and one-year postpartum, a time when access to follow-up care and behavioral health support can be limited. In 2024 Texas extended Medicaid coverage for eligible mothers from two months to 12 months postpartum, helping improve access to care during this critical period.

Improving outcomes means looking beyond clinical care. The 2025 Dallas County Community Health Needs Assessment highlights how non-medical drivers of health, including access to care, transportation, housing and economic stability, shape maternal health.

Community members also point to barriers such as limited availability of nearby services, cost of care and the need for patient-centered care that builds trust. These challenges can make it harder for mothers to access consistent care during and after pregnancy.

Behavioral health is another critical factor. Mental wellness is the top health priority in Dallas County, reinforcing the importance of screening and support for conditions like postpartum depression.

At Parkland, supporting maternal health means caring for the whole person, before, during and after pregnancy. Programs like extending Maternal Care After Pregnancy (eMCAP) help ensure women receive follow-up care for up to 12 months after delivery, including through mobile health services that bring care directly into communities and reduce barriers to access. Most recently, Parkland expanded these services into Hunt County through a mobile clinic designed to support women during the critical year after childbirth.

Parkland also offers a range of community-based programs to support families, including the Post Natal Nurse Home Visitor program, which connects new mothers with in-home support, and Healthy Start, a federally funded initiative that provides resources such as housing, food assistance and transportation. Through Nurse-Family Partnership, first-time mothers receive one-on-one support from registered nurses from pregnancy through early childhood.

“Programs such as eMCAP are critical because they address both medical and non-medical needs that disproportionately affect Black women, who are more than twice as likely to die from largely preventable pregnancy-related causes. Too often postpartum care ends when risk remains high,” said Robert B. Martin, MD, Physician Member of the Center for Innovation and Value at Parkland and an Associate Professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “By bringing care into the community and centering on patients’ needs, we can reduce disparities and improve outcomes for mothers and their families.”

“Maternal mortality is a national health crisis, and Black women are disproportionately affected. Improving outcomes requires care that extends beyond the traditional six-week postpartum period and addresses non-medical drivers of health such as access to care, transportation, housing and food. Parkland’s eMCAP program helps bridge that gap by bringing services directly into high-risk communities and supporting women for up to a year after delivery,” said Kristie Wilburn-Wren, MD, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Medical Director of Labor and Delivery Triage at Parkland Memorial Hospital. “By identifying needs early and connecting mothers to ongoing primary care, we can help prevent many of the complications that lead to poor outcomes. During Black Maternal Health Week and beyond, Parkland is committed to working alongside our patients and communities to both raise awareness and advance solutions.”

For more information about Parkland, visit www.parklandhealth.org.