The CORAL Community Core

CORAL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP CORE - ABSTRACT Maternal behavioral health conditions, including substance use disorders, affect 1 in 5 pregnant/postpartum women and are one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related death. In the US, where population-wide maternal mortality is higher than that in similar nations, Black women are three times more likely to die from a

pregnancy-related cause than White counterparts. Multiple factors, including multilayered structural and social determinants affecting the complex physical, mental, and behavioral health milieu, contribute to this racial disparity. Thus, maternal behavioral health represents one important area for investigation and innovation to

improve lifecourse and intergenerational outcomes for Black women and birthing people. To date, predominant approaches to addressing Black maternal behavioral health have not appropriately and rigorously engaged community stakeholders. In many instances, proposed solutions have perpetuated medical/academic mistrust

and have failed to create sustainable, equitable change. Experts agree that the lived experiences and cultural knowledge of Black birthing people, and community bodies who serve them, are integral in identifying effective public health solutions. We posit that, to drastically reduce pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated

maternal deaths among Black women with behavioral health conditions, community voices must be prioritized and amplified. To this end, the Community Partnership Core (CPC) will lead the creation, cultivation, and maintenance of a cooperative and equitable partnership between the Center to Advance Reproductive Justice

and Behavioral Health among Black pregnant/postpartum women (CORAL) and all relevant community partners at each stage of the research process, from conceptualization to wide dissemination and translation for varied audiences. Using and expanding upon established reproductive justice, research justice, and

community engagement frameworks, and leveraging a trans-disciplinary team of research and community partners we will: (1) Develop an effective CPC Community Accountability Board (CAB); (2) Engage communities to develop a CPC Community Accountability Board Research Agenda to advance Black Maternal Behavioral Health; (3) Develop infrastructure to support the achievement of the CPC CAB Research Agenda,

and CORAL projects more broadly; and (4) Apply innovative methods to disseminate and implement CORAL research learnings with community members, partner organizations, and policymakers utilizing culturally- rooted approaches. We anticipate that, through our intentionally constructed research team, community

partnerships, and leveraging of our existing state-and-nationwide capacity, we will be able to support the implementation of sustainable maternal behavioral health interventions to improve maternal health outcomes. Working in partnership with communities, and those who serve Black pregnant and postpartum women, the

CPC's work has the potential activate the power of communities and inform policies and practices for practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and activists so that Black mothers not just survive but thrive.