What types of services does the Maternity Care Coalition offer? What can participants expect from your programs?
Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) is a community-based nonprofit organization serving Southeastern Pennsylvania and the State of Delaware. With over four decades of commitment to improving maternal and child health and early education, our mission is to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women and parenting families and enhance school readiness for children 0-3. We achieve this through direct service, advocacy, and research, in collaboration with individuals, families, providers, and communities.
MCC operates 9 direct service sites, each strategically located in underserved communities in Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, and Lehigh counties. MCC employs a trauma-informed, two-generation approach that works to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of poverty and trauma, understanding that healthy moms and stable families are key to a child’s optimal health and well-being. To address the complex needs of childbearing families, MCC provides a range of services, including home visiting, center-based early learning, workforce development, behavioral health services, and linguistically and culturally responsive health and parenting education for families with children ages 0 – 3. MCC’s evidence-based and evidence-informed direct service programs include the following:
- MOMobile® – a range of home visiting programs that work with families to meet goals related to maternal and infant health, child development, early learning, and basic needs.
- Early Head Start – a comprehensive child development program that supports school readiness in home- and center-based settings.
- Cribs for Kids – a safe sleep program that provides education and free cribs to families who cannot afford them.
- Community Education – a continuum of community-based programs, including parenting and childbirth education groups.
- MOMobile® Rapid Engagement – a short-term outreach and linkage intervention for families impacted by substance use and justice system involvement.
- Perinatal Community Health Worker Program – a racial justice-centered workforce development program that trains community members to provide doula and lactation support.
- MOMobile® Family Therapy – an integrated program that provides behavioral health services to individuals and families in their homes.
Who are these services for? Are there eligibility requirements?
MCC serves pregnant people, parents, caregivers and families with children ages 0-3. We offer individual support for pregnant people and parenting families; home visits are conveniently scheduled at home or within the community; resources for babies and young children such as diapers, cribs, and baby necessities; and recovery support and behavioral health resources. Anyone who connects with MCC for support can be put in touch with the appropriate program and/or resources.
What is important for individuals to know about the Maternity Care Coalition?
The United States has the highest maternal and infant mortality rates among comparable nations, and mothers of color are at far greater risk. Nationally, Black women are dying at nearly three times the rate of white women from complications related to childbirth and experience the highest rate of infant mortality among all racial and ethnic groups. Black mothers are also twice as likely as non-Hispanic white mothers to have an infant who dies by their first birthday. Philadelphia’s pregnancy-related death and infant mortality rates exceed the national average, with Black women who give birth in Philadelphia four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women and Black infants three times more likely to die and twice as likely to be born with a low birth weight compared to white infants.
The social determinants of health–which include access to quality health care, economic stability, education quality and attainment, social and community context, and neighborhood and built environment–impact physical and mental health outcomes, contribute to families’ ability to care for themselves and their children, and determine communities’ access to the resources that allow them to thrive. Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) recognizes that the impact of the social determinants of health transcends race; however, due to structural racism and social injustice, they have a greater impact on Black and Brown families and families living in poverty. Therefore, our efforts center the voices and lived experiences of families who are most impacted by structural racism as we work to counteract health disparities. MCC envisions a future where parents impacted by racial and social inequities in Southeastern Pennsylvania can birth with dignity, parent with autonomy, and raise babies who are healthy, growing, and thriving.
What is the best way to get connected to these programs?
If you are interested in receiving our services you may:
- Call our office at (215) 972-0700
- Email us at communityengagement@maternitycarecoalition.org
- Click here to visit our website and complete the form to receive information about our services
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
MCC was founded in 1980 as an advocacy organization by professionals and community members concerned by the appalling rate of infant mortality in the region. In 1989, MCC expanded its program to include direct service delivery, opening its first MOMobile site, providing critically needed support to pregnant women and families with young children through home visiting. Our direct service programs have assisted close to 150,000 families across the region and have demonstrated considerable expertise working with high-risk individuals with histories that include trauma, perinatal depression, substance use, interpersonal violence, and criminal justice involvement. In addition to direct services, MCC’s comprehensive approach includes a Policy & Advocacy Department that advocates at local, state, and national levels on maternal and child health and early care and education issues and a Research & Evaluation Department that engages in academic partnerships and community-participatory research on maternal, child, and family health issues.
In fiscal year 2022, MCC served 3,481 families and demonstrated a substantial impact on several areas of importance for pregnant women, babies, and their families:
- 82% of clients enrolled in the MOMobile® program reduced their risk for perinatal depression.
- 77% of clients initiated breastfeeding (compared to 15% of Philadelphia and 19% of Pennsylvania WIC participants).
- 88% of clients practiced safe sleep (compared to 65% of Pennsylvania parents).