Mama+

Welcome to our website!

What is Mama+?

The Mama+ Collaborative, also known as the Mama Plus, is a collective of powerful voices advocating for Black and brown maternal health statewide. This policy focused initiative aims to address the maternal health emergency and close maternal health gaps for Black birthing people in Louisiana.

How was the Mama+ Policy Agenda created?

The Mama+ Health Policy Collaborative formed to develop the Mama+ Health Policy Agenda, also known as the New Orleans Momnibus. This city- and state-level initiative launched in response to the maternal health emergency and to close health disparities experienced by Black birthing people in New Orleans.

Launched under the Merck for Mothers’ Safer Childbirth Cities Initiative as the Mama+ Health Policy Workgroup, the project was a partnership between Birthmark Doula Collective, the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies (IWES), and the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC). Initially modeled on the federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020, the New Orleans version was tailored to local needs and grounded in community-centered solutions.

Mama+ Health Policy Agenda Titles

Currently, the statewide policy agenda features 11 titles targeting core social, clinical, and structural determinants of maternal health at the local and state level to improve maternal health outcomes for Black birthing people in Louisiana. These titles include:

Address social determinants of health that affect maternal health outcomes including economic justice
Diversify and increase the perinatal workforce
Invest in maternal mental health care and substance use disorder treatments
Support for incarcerated birthing persons
Improve telehealth and other digital tools to provide maternal health care to underserved areas
Increase payment for group prenatal care
Address abortion access and reproductive rights issues
Increase Medicaid reimbursement rates
Access to universal home visitation
Expand postpartum Medicaid coverage
Ensure postpartum care resources access

Meet the Leadership Team

Lisa Richardson,

Ph.D

CEO, Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies

Frankie Robertson, MPA

Founder & President, The Amandla Group

Meshawn Siddiq,

MPH, HBCE, CLC

H.E.R. Institute, New Orleans Health Department

Victoria Royal-Williams,

DHA, LMSW, CBS

Advocacy Director, Birthmark

How We Operate

The Mama+ Health Policy Collaborative is led by the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies, Birthmark, H.E.R. Institute, and The Amandla Group. It unites policy advocates, clinicians, researchers, community leaders, birthworkers, and birthing individuals committed to maternal health equity.

Core group and workgroup members work together to: