TRUST INITIATIVE

By disrupting pregnancy and childbirth services, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a broad lack of trustworthiness in our systems of care. This was particularly true for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who were the most likely to be exposed to the virus as well as the most likely to suffer from mitigation strategies, such as suspensions and restrictions in services. 

During the summer of 2020, we virtually convened a collaborative of 244 clinicians and people who gave birth during the pandemic. With their combined insights over a series of four sessions, this group specified a set of shared challenges in providing safe and equitable care. They also described growing momentum to produce sustaining innovations that improve the system. These findings were published in a white paper last fall. In bringing together a diversity of voices, practices designed to promote trust and enhance communication emerged as a distinct innovation category. In a survey of collaborative participants after the white paper was published, this topic was viewed as the category most in need of follow-up. 

We are currently expanding this collaborative of diverse perspectives from across the country in order to identify, analyze, and amplify innovations that promote trust and enhance communication in maternal health and beyond, including care for chronic conditions and serious illness. Visit the Ariadne Labs COVID-19 website to learn more and get involved with the collaborative.