The New Orleans Maternal Child Health Coalition

The New Orleans Maternal Child Health Coalition (MCHC) was founded in 2018, and is “an advocacy group made up of over 100 diverse stakeholders in maternal and child health in New Orleans.” The aim of the coalition is to “improve outcomes, experiences, and access to quality, respectful care during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period by centering the experiences of Black birthing people and their infants in New Orleans.”

Learn more about NOLA MCHC at https://nolamch.wpcomstaging.com/

NOLA MCHC Legislative Scorecards

What

Data with a purpose

An easily digestible way of summarizing and evaluating the voting records of legislators so constituents may be informed about how legislators are voting and how it aligns with outcomes that impact them.

Why

  1. To use in advocacy briefings

  2. To inform strategy for community partners and groups

  3. To improve community voter education

How

  1. Track bills through the legislative session via the Mama + policy agenda

  2. Divide the bills into the following categories:

    1. Social Determinants of Health

    2. Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

    3. Abortion and Reproductive Rights

    4. Perinatal Workforce

    5. Additional Priority Bills

  3. Track their voting decisions and how they align with MAMA+ positions using a point system

In 2024, Yashvee Rathod, MCHC and SHER Lab intern, pulled voting records of 146 legislators over 25 bills 

2024 Legislative Scorecards

For over 15 years, Brittany's ability to help others has been noteworthy in her professional and personal life. In 2017, after realizing that she and many of her peers knew little about birth, her interest in supporting pregnant parents was piqued. Immediately, she sought out birth work and has been working behind the scenes ever since. She is a trained Sista Midwife Productions (SMP) Birth Sister/doula, Child Birth Educator, LER Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, and Perinatal Health Advocate. Now, she is ready to take everything she has absorbed as a nursing assistant and as an SMP team member to serve and add to her community's knowledge of birth.

Whether you call her a birth assistant, coach, sista/cuzin, birth worker, or doula; just know, you can call on Brittany to support you in birth.

Brittany has also become a strong administrative professional with 7+ years of work experience in the non-profit healthcare industry. She is skilled in Health Information Management, Perinatal Support, Customer Service, Business Communications, Editing, Social Media, and Data Entry Systems.

Brittany Williams