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Posts tagged as “#startsmall”

San Francisco to Provide $1,000 Per Month to Expecting Black and Pacific Islander Moms to Combat Infant Mortality

San Francisco to Provide $1,000 Per Month to Expecting Black and Pacific Islander Moms to Combat Infant Mortality

By goodblacknews on September 16, 2020

San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed, in partnership with Expecting Justice, announced this week the  launch of the Abundant Birth Project, a pilot program that provides targeted basic income to women during pregnancy and after giving birth.

The pilot will provide an unconditional monthly income supplement of $1,000 to approximately 150 Black and Pacific Islander women in San Francisco for the duration of their pregnancy and for the first six months of their baby’s life, with a goal of eventually providing a supplement for up to two years post-pregnancy.

Expecting Justice, a collective impact initiative led by Dr. Zea Malawa at the San Francisco Department of Public Health and supported by the Hellman Foundation and the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative, will study the resulting health impacts of the pilot program, which is the first of its kind in the United States.

The Abundant Birth Project is a simple, yet novel, approach to achieving better maternal health and birthing outcomes: provide pregnant Black and Pacific Islander women a monthly income supplement for the duration of their pregnancy and during the postpartum period as an economic and reproductive health intervention.

Prematurity is a leading cause of infant mortality and has been linked to lifelong conditions, such as behavioral development issues, learning difficulties, and chronic disease. In San Francisco, Black infants are almost twice as likely to be born prematurely compared with White infants (13.8% versus 7.3%, from 2012-2016) and Pacific Islander infants have the second-highest preterm birth rate (10.4%).

Furthermore, Black families account for half of the maternal deaths and over 15% of infant deaths, despite representing only 4% of all births. Pacific Islander families face similar disparities.

Beyoncé ‘s BeyGOOD Foundation Pledges $6 Million to Mental Health Organizations Supporting Essential Workers During Covid-19 Crisis

By goodblacknews on April 26, 2020

Beyoncé has been lending her time to several Covid-19 relief efforts. She appeared on the Disney Family Singalong to support Feeding America and health-care workers, appeared in a fun hat on the Global Citizen broadcast and used her platform to speak about how African Americans are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Vulture, last week Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD initiative announced it is pledging $6 million to help fund organizations that tackle an often-overlooked element of the coronavirus pandemic: the mental-health toll on communities and essential workers.

In a statement, the organization announced that it is partnering with UCLA and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s #startsmall efforts to provide “to organizations providing mental wellness services.”

BeyGOOD also will also partner with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to provide local support in Houston, New York, New Orleans, and Detroit. The statement from BeyGOOD on Beyoncé’s website states:

“Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD recognizes the immense mental and personal health burdens being placed on essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In our major cities, African-Americans comprise a disproportionate number of workers in these indispensable occupations, and they will need mental health support and personal wellness care, including testing and medical services, food supplies and food deliveries, both during and after the crisis.”