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Recommendation as submitted by Supervisor Mitchell: Celebrate June 2024 as “Fatherhood Well-Being Month” throughout Los Angeles County; direct the Chief Executive Officer, the Directors of Public Social Services, Child Support Services, Children and Family Services, Mental Health, Public Health, Economic Opportunity and Youth Development, the Executive Director of Racial Equity, the Chief Probation Officer and the Public Defender, to promote father well-being resources and outreach events and activities through targeted outreach to underserved populations, public messaging efforts and social media, and add fathers as a subpopulation to each of the County’s prevention and promotion initiative’s focus areas and that focus area subcommittees work to further guide the implementation of the County’s recommendations and explore options to ensure that fathers have efficient access to accurate information and essential resources needed, as recommended in the Chief Executive Officer’s March 6, 2024 Workgroup Report; and take the following actions:

An open forum, drop-in platform for expectant, new and experienced fathers that propels their proactive engagement in their children’s and partners’ lives. The group creates a safe space for growth, feeding the mind, body and spirit of fathers as they raise their children and support their partners.

Holding Space for Our Fathers

By Ruel Nolledo

Building the Village is a special 4-part series focusing on the work taking place in neighborhoods throughout L.A. County to combat the disproportionately high rates of Black maternal and infant deaths and ensure that all Black families experience joyous and healthy births. Created and supported by L.A. County’s AAIMM Prevention Initiative, local partnerships known as Community Action Teams (CATs) are bringing everyone together to raise awareness of the crisis and identify the solutions that work best for their community. In addition to the L.A. Department of Public Health, each CAT includes local residents (including mothers/birthing persons and dads/partners), community-based organizations,  faith-based organizations, health care providers and plans/networks, birth workers such as doulas and midwives, First 5 LA, the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, local businesses, and other allies. 

Poor oral health may be linked to:

• Preeclampsia
• Preterm birth
• Low birth weight

Keep your mouth healthy while pregnant by:

• Visiting the dentist when pregnant and regularly therafter
• Brushing twice a day, everyday for two minutes
• Eating healthy foods
• Drinking water
• Quitting smoking

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In celebration of Women’s History Month, the California Legislative Women’s Caucus held an annual ceremony in the State Capitol to recognize seven California ‘HERstory Makers’. In recognition of her groundbreaking achievements, the Caucus chose our executive director, Janette Robinson-Flint, as one of the 2024 California Women Making HERstory. The California Legislature paid tribute to Janette on Monday, March 11th in Sacramento, presented by State Senator Nancy Skinner.

Since 2018, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH), in partnership with First 5 LA and community-based organizations, has led a broad African American Infant & Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM) to address the disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes caused by the societal and physiological effects of racism and discrimination. The AAIMM Doula Program launched in 2019 to match Black pregnant individuals with skilled Black birth doulas who provide support, advocacy, and education throughout the perinatal period. In addition to direct service provision, the Program also organizes workforce development opportunities for birthworkers of color and fosters demand for doula services via public awareness, clinician and community engagement, and statewide policy work.

[AAIMM Contribution: Activating Our Village in Los Angeles County: Birth Equity & Black Families
Authors: Sonya Young Aadam, Dr. Deborah Allen, Dr. Brandi Desjolais, Dr. Melissa Franklin, Adjoa Jones, Helen O’Connor, Kaci Patterson, Dr. Sylvia Swilley]

Collective Impact Fuels Change in Maternal Health
More than 150 maternal health professionals join forces to create maternal health playbook

[CHAPEL HILL, NC] - Esteemed maternal health professionals in partnership with

the de Beaumont Foundation and the Maternal Health Learning & Innovation Center

(MHLIC) today announce the release of the highly anticipated book, The Practical

Playbook III: Working Together to Improve Maternal Health. This comprehensive and

groundbreaking work serves as a crucial resource for professionals across diverse

fields, providing practical and actionable guidance. A key focus of the book is to

encourage collaboration across sectors to address the multifaceted challenges in

maternal health.

In The Practical Playbook III, writers delve into the collaborative efforts essential for

improving maternal health outcomes. “The book is unique in that it brings together

the expertise of practitioners and people with lived experience who have known

about and been invested in reversing the maternal health crisis since before it gained

national attention,” said co-editor Lindsey Yates, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor

in the UNC Department of Maternal and Child Health.

The book offers a meticulous exploration of effective strategies, evidence-based

practices, and innovative approaches to address the complexities surrounding

maternal health.

The Los Angeles County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM) today received the 2023 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize. The prize celebrates communities across the country where people and organizations are collaborating to build positive solutions to barriers that have created unequal opportunities for health and well being.