Investment in HIV services may improve quality of prenatal and postnatal care. At the facility level, the mere presence of HIV treatment services was associated with higher quality prenatal and postnatal care, shows a new study in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers from Columbia University, the CDC and Kenyan public health institutions, analyzed data from 560 hospitals and clinics in Kenya, a country with a high maternal mortality ratio, to compare the quality of prenatal, postnatal, and delivery services in facilities that had HIV treatment services and those that did not. The researchers found that the existence of PMTCT and ART treatment programs was associated with significantly increased quality in prenatal and postnatal care, irrespective of HIV status. However, quality of delivery care was similar across the two settings… read more
Input Needed on Indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals
Posted onWith the end date of the Millennium Development Goals looming, prioritizing maternal health and measuring it well will be critical to progress for women and newborns in the post-2015 era. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) of the United Nations needs your input in reviewing their indicators and monitoring framework for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But act quickly! The deadline for reviews is this Saturday, January 31st… read more
New Lancet Commentary Makes Link Between Ebola and Women’s Health
Posted onThe Ebola epidemic that is currently ravaging Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea has devastated these nations and their health systems. While Ebola’s destruction has reached far beyond the health system into other critical sectors, it is without a doubt women and their children who are suffering the greatest burden of this disease and its effects. Today, The Lancet published a commentary that describes the socioeconomic, biologic and health systems connections between women’s health and the current Ebola epidemic. Ana Langer, Director of the MTHF, joined with her colleagues at ISGlobal and the Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça to author the paper, which describes the reasons why the majority of those infected with Ebola are women and how the outbreak has increased the obstacles women face in accessing the health system… read more
How Do You Translate Research Into Practice? Here Are Five Ways.
Posted onOver the last three weeks, we’ve heard from authors around the world who have seen concrete practice and policy results from their articles in our MHTF-PLOS Collection for Maternal Health. Our Translating Research into Practice Series featured these authors and the influence of their papers. Find a summary of the collection here… read more
Launch of Translating Research into Practice Series: Reflections From MHTF-PLOS Collection Authors
Posted onOver the last three years, the MHTF has partnered with PLoS to put together an annual collection on maternal health. These open-access collections were curated with the goal of increasing access to comprehensive research to global maternal health practitioners who may not have access to subscription-only journals. In order to evaluate the impact of these collections, we now launch the Translating Research into Practice Series. To create this series, we’ve followed up with authors from these collections to reflect back on their research and what has happened in terms of practice, policy, and further research since their publication. Follow this series over the next few weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays to hear the authors’ first-hand reflections and how research can be leveraged to create sustainable change… read more
Call for Posts: How a Woman-Centered Agenda Can Make Universal Health Coverage More Than a Mantra
Posted onAs momentum builds towards the unveiling of the post-2015 agenda, the global health community has its eye on universal health coverage (UHC) as a priority for operationalizing the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The issue at hand is not whether UHC is achievable, but is ensuring that UHC researchers, implementers, and policy-makers collaborate to provide rich evidence to improve and ensure quality health care for all. In order to facilitate this collaboration, the Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF) and USAID|TRAction hosted the session, Woman-Centered Care as the Engine for Universal Health Coverage, at the Third Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Cape Town, South Africa on September 30, 2014.
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WHO Releases World Malaria Report 2014
Posted onMHTF Leads JAIDS Supplement on HIV, Reproductive, and Maternal Health Services
Posted onRemembering the Mother in Preterm Birth
Posted onWorld Health Organization Releases Guide for Convening Stakeholders
Posted onAs public health professionals, we know how important it is to engage stakeholders to create sustainable change and progress for maternal and newborn health. Recognizing the power of convening stakeholders, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published, “Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues for Women’s and Children’s Health: A Guide for Conveners and Facilitators.”