As a state we rank, eighth in the country in terms of the highest rates of maternal morbidity and mortality.

So as a state where we're not doing well, within our state, there are groups that are doing even more poorly, so within the H.E.A.R.4Mamas program, we want to make sure that we are reaching those populations and addressing some of the reasons why they have greater health disparities.

Black women are four times more likely to die from a postpartum complication in South Carolina.

Awareness is key to help families, identify and reduce the risk to all women during the postpartum year.

Complications, medical or mental health complications can really occur any time in pregnancy and the postpartum year.

where we're focused with H.E.A.R.4Mamas is in that early postpartum period and then for the rest of the postpartum year.

So in that early postpartum period after delivery, there are a number of early warning signs that tell you that someone might develop further complications.

And so we use text and phone to screen for those really intensely.

For the first 8 to 12 weeks postpartum and, connect that person with a nurse advocate, to address any concerns.

And that could be everything from, something really serious, like shortness of breath or chest pain to I'm not really sure what's going on.

I just, I don't feel quite right, and I just want someone to give me a call.

The first month that you have your baby, they send you surveys to your phone, They kind of try to ask you the postpartum questions to see how you're feeling.

And they do like a scale of 1 to 10.

Say, do you feel safe within yourself or do you feel safe around your baby?

And that's pretty much for the first month.

And then after the first month, the surveys kind of slow down to maybe like once a week or so, Complications like, postpartum hemorrhage and depression in most cases occur within the first two months after delivery.

This screenings allow patients to determine how they feel.

And then with the connection, we are able to do chronic disease management, preventative health care, maternal care support and mental health support.

So like if a woman has depression or high blood pressure, we're able to decide if something is normal or is not.

And then they can take the next steps to get to an emergency room or back to their OB provider.

I think the text and phone screenings are one of the most important parts of why this program works so well.

it allows for moms to feel a lot more comfortable with disclosing aspects of their mental and physical health that they otherwise might not feel comfortable sharing.

It helps patients be honest because there's no barriers, there's no stigma.

They can answer the questions honestly and they have access to a provider right then.

All of the interaction is by text and phone.

And then when we need to do a visit for somebody that might be having more symptoms that need to be evaluated, we can do that via telehealth.

Telehealth plays a role by giving women, an easy, accessible way to connect, to care.

There's a lot of ways that we can meet moms needs both, you know, pertaining to mental health as well as social determinants of health, making sure that they have access to everything that they need.

Making sure that they have a support system around them.

And I think providing all of that and kind of banding together and creating a good support system can, you know, alleviate a lot of that stress and allow moms to focus on their health and improve their mental health in that way.

Having the H.E.A.R.4Mamas group Just constantly checking up on me every morning when I woke up and just having someone call me and say, hey, are you okay?

We're just checking up on you.

I feel like that means everything.

Just having someone in your corner, especially when you don't feel like you have enough people supporting you in your corner, Bringing together physical health, mental health and social health, into one package is, I think is the best way to address maternal health and maternal health needs.