Webinar: The L.A. County AAIMM Initiative’s Doula Program and Fatherhood Programs

Black babies in Los Angeles County are two to three times more likely to die before their first birthday than babies of other races. Racism and the related stress Black families face daily is at the root of the problem.

The Los Angeles County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative is a countywide coalition that is working on solutions. Specifically, its goal is to reduce Black infant and maternal deaths 30% in L.A. County by 2023. Do you know any parents-to-be who might benefit from AAIMM programs? Watch the webinar recording and see the flyers below to learn how you can connect them!

In this webinar — hosted by LA Best Babies Network on November 10, 2022, for staff in our network of home visiting organizations and Welcome Baby hospitals — these two presenters provide an overview of the AAIMM Prevention Initiative, and discuss their respective AAIMM projects:

• Ashley Skiffer-Thompson, AAIMM Doula Coordinator for the L.A. County Department of Public Health
• Davion Mauldin, Fatherhood Coordinator for the L.A. County Department of Public Health

About the presenters:

Ashley Skiffer-Thompson, MBA, Doula, CLE, has spent the majority of her career in the early childhood home visitation field. She was a Parent Coach in the Welcome Baby program, and then a Program Supervisor for the Healthy Families America home visiting program at SHIELDS for Families, before becoming the AAIMM Doula Coordinator.

Davion Mauldin, MS, heads the Black Daddy Dialogue social support group and the Expecting Fathers Group for Black Dads, which provides education, support and navigation tools for African American dads and dads-to-be. The 5-week Expecting Fathers Group covers pregnancy, labor and delivery, the postpartum period, and early parenthood.

Watch the webinar recording here, and don’t miss the links to related resources below:

Resources

• Webinar presentation slides: LA County AAIMM’s Initiative Doula Program & Fatherhood Engagement
• AAIMM overview document
• AAIMM Doula Program flyer
• Expecting Fathers Group for Black Dads: weekly sessions information & upcoming schedule
• Black Daddy Dialogue flyer
• Birth outcome racial disparities: a result of intersecting social and environmental factors (NLM, 2017)
• Brief summary of research articles related to racism’s impact on health outcomes (AAIMM)
• Study on African American Birth outcomes in Los Angeles County (First 5 LA, 2018)
• LA County Department of Public Health 5-Year Plan to Address African American Infant Mortality
• Doula Services as a Medi-Cal Benefit (the California Department of Health Care Services)