Among them is University of Virginia Children’s Hospital (UVA), ranking first in the state and number seven in the mid-Atlantic region, recognized for its neonatology, pediatric cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes, orthopedics, and urology specialties.
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) ranked second in the state and 10th in the region, ranking well in pediatric urology, pulmonology, nephrology, and cancer specialties. Inova Children’s Hospital in Falls Church came in third in the state and 13th in the region, recognized for its neonatology program.
CHoR CEO Elias Neujahr said in a statement:
“Our community and our nation faced many challenges over the past year, but this recognition underscores that through it all, these teams never paused in caring, researching, growing and giving their all to make sure the health of our kids comes first.”
UnitedHealthcare funds maternal health, food access in Virginia
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Six community-based organizations in Virginia will receive a total of $900,000 in funding from UnitedHealthcare. The national managed care organization announced Thursday that it will donate $11.4 million in grants to 84 community based organizations across the nation as part of its Empowering Health initiative, which aims to expand access to care and address the impact of social determinants of health on underserved communities.
Initiatives that address social determinants of health are becoming more relevant in the health care sector. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine estimates that 80 percent of what influences a person’s health does not directly involve medical care, but access to food, housing, transportation, and financial security.
Stephanie Spencer from Urban Baby Beginnings. (Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM)
About 700 women die from pregnancy-related complications each year according to the Centers for Disease Control. In Virginia, Black women are three times more likely to die during pregnancy than white women. Health experts and lawmakers are working to address the persistent racial disparities regarding maternal health.
As part of those efforts, the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts established a maternal health task force, seeking the help of health specialists from Urban Baby Beginnings and Birth in Color RVA to find solutions.
Recently, the task force launched a program that offers free prenatal and postnatal care to the commonwealth’s most vulnerable by connecting people with community doulas.
Free doula services for Black Henrico moms-to-be
WTVR
and last updated 2021-04-20 17:36:37-04 HENRICO COUNTY, Va - Up to 120 expecting mothers who are Black and living in Henrico County will get access to doula services free of charge through October.
The Richmond-Henrico Health District established the fund with community doula organizations to try and reduce the health impacts on Black mothers caused by racial bias in the healthcare system, officials said.
A doula is a labor support person who helps an expecting mother before, during, and after the birth of her baby. Stephanie Spence, Director of Urban Baby Beginnings, said both mother and child experience better health and emotional outcomes when working with a doula.