P4A announces new projects investigating public policy impacts on racial equity
P4A is thrilled to announce 20 new research teams as part of its portfolio building an evidence base to promote health equity and well-being. This new cohort will study topics including environmental justice, reparations, incarceration policy, and maternal and child health and their impacts on communities of color. This work will be critical as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and an imperative to address and dismantle structural racism.
Does municipal spending affect severe maternal morbidity in New Jersey?
Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) is a major risk factor for maternal mortality, yet little is known about geographic variation in SMM or the factors associated with local-level rates. Researchers at Rutgers University investigated the variation in SMM rates across municipalities in New Jersey and found municipal expenditures on transportation, health, housing, libraries, and fire and ambulance were associated with lower rates of SMM, and expenditures on police were associated with higher rates.
Trends in US state-level contraceptive access policies
Unfettered access to contraception is critical to reproductive autonomy. Though there have been legislative and policy-related efforts to expand access to contraception, challenges and barriers to coverage and access in the United States remain. Researchers at Emory University documented changes in state-level policies regulating access to contraceptive services over 12 years and provide additional analysis in this new P4A Spark blog post.
COVID-19 has disrupted the nation’s health and social systems, forcing organizations to adapt to continue providing services that meet the immediate and complex needs of their communities and to navigate new barriers, like reductions in workforce, loss in revenue, and challenges providing in-person or virtual services. Researchers from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Evidence for Action, Policies for Action, and Systems for Action join a special joint panel to discuss their findings on strategies to address health equity and access to health and social services during the pandemic and beyond.
Join COVID’s Impact on Health Equity and Access to Health and Social Services: A Conversation Across the RWJF ‘For Action’ Signature Research Programs on Wednesday, January 12, at 12:00 p.m. (EST). Register here.
