HHS program aims to reduce bias, improve quality in maternal care

The U.S. maternal mortality rate doubled over the last 30 years, disproportionally affecting Black women and American Indian and Alaska Native women. To improve maternal health care among these populations, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) designed a free, 2-hour e-learning program for providers and students on delivering culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS). The course covers the role of CLAS in maternal health care, self-awareness of beliefs and bias, awareness of a patient’s cultural identity and strategies for providing CLAS-informed maternal health care. The program, accredited for two continuing education hours, can be found on the HHS website, Think Cultural Health.