Mae Health has partnered with Molina Healthcare of Virginia to offer tailored support to Black expectant mothers. This collaboration grants Molina’s Virginia-based Medicare and healthcare marketplace members access to culturally adept maternal health experts. Mae Health’s digital platform provides real-time pregnancy support, education, and connections to doulas and consultants. The initiative addresses maternal health disparities and high mortality rates among non-Hispanic Black women. Similar efforts by tech-enabled maternity clinics and digital health platforms aim to improve maternal health outcomes.
Mae Health has forged a partnership with Molina Healthcare of Virginia to provide dedicated assistance to Black expectant mothers. This collaboration will grant Molina’s Virginia-based Medicare and healthcare marketplace members access to knowledgeable maternal health specialists who are culturally attuned.
Mae Health, an innovative digital health platform designed to offer pregnancy and postpartum support specifically tailored for Black expectant mothers, has unveiled its alliance with the government-funded healthcare provider, Molina Healthcare of Virginia. Under this collaboration, Mae Health’s comprehensive services will be extended to Molina members without any cost.
Among Mae’s array of offerings are a pregnancy tracker, real-time support services, educational resources about pregnancy, personalized lifestyle and care recommendations, as well as connections to culturally adept experts like doulas, lactation consultants, and pregnancy coaches.
Molina’s membership, including both Medicare beneficiaries and those covered through the health insurance marketplace in Virginia, will be granted access to virtual and community-based doulas via Mae Health’s platform. These doulas will provide emotional support, offer advocacy, deliver birth education, and provide assistance with lactation.
Alisha Lalani, Mae Health’s Head of Growth, expressed excitement about the partnership, emphasizing Molina’s commitment to offering improved perinatal resources to its members across Virginia. She highlighted how the collaboration’s focus on culturally appropriate approaches aims to address disparities in maternal health outcomes and cater to the unique clinical and social requirements of mothers.
The Broader Context
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal a concerning maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women in 2021, standing at 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. This figure is 2.6 times higher than the corresponding rate for non-Hispanic White women.
Mae Health initially launched in 2021 with $1.3 million in pre-seed funding. This financial support was directed towards realizing the company’s overarching objective of establishing itself as a value-based supplementary care solution for pregnant Black women.
Earlier in April, Mae Health announced a collaborative effort with Aetna Better Health of Maryland, a subsidiary of CVS Health, to initiate a pilot program. The program aims to mitigate health disparities for Black expectant mothers by providing culturally sensitive doula support through Mae Health’s platform.
Numerous other entities are also striving to enhance maternal health. Noteworthy examples include tech-enabled maternity clinic Millie, digital health family care platform Ovia Health, and maternal health startup Cayaba Care.
