Morehouse School of Medicine has received a $1.7 million grant for a training program aimed at narrowing maternal mortality and morbidity disparities among Black women, the school recently announced.
The three-year grant from the Amerigroup Foundation will be used to train medical residents, health care providers and to create a rural maternal health residency program. Morehouse School of Medicine, located near downtown Atlanta, is one of a handful of historically Black medical schools nationwide.
Georgia’s maternal mortality rate has long ranked among the bottom nationwide. A bipartisan state study committee recently found that 60% of the state’s maternal deaths between 2012 and 2014 were preventable. Black women in Georgia are three to four times more likely to die when they become mothers than white women, the study found.
“At the heart of our mission to improve lives and communities is a commitment to ensuring our neighbors across Georgia can build a brighter, healthier future for themselves and their babies,” stated Mel Lindsey, Amerigroup Georgia Medicaid Plan President. “We’re proud to support Morehouse School of Medicine as it leads the fight against health inequity, and we are confident this program’s focus on maternal health in minority communities lays a strong foundation for lifelong equality in care.”
The Amerigroup Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Amerigroup, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anthem, Inc.
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