Dr. Ann Barnes
EHF's President and CEO
February is a time to celebrate Black history and to recognize that its legacy lives on through Black Texans working every day to improve health and strengthen their communities.
At Episcopal Health Foundation, we see that leadership every day. A powerful example of what’s possible when community voices drive change is the 2023 Texas doula and community health worker reimbursement law. That victory came after years of organizing, advocacy, and persistence by Black doulas, community health workers, and maternal health champions who knew what their communities needed and refused to stop pushing until the system changed.
The law allows Medicaid to reimburse doulas and community health workers for addressing certain non-medical needs like housing stability, nutrition, and transportation. These are important factors that directly shape maternal and infant health outcomes. It’s a clear policy win driven in part by Black-led advocacy and one that’s expanding access to culturally rooted, life-saving care for Black mothers.
But we also know the context that makes this progress so urgent. Black Texans face some of the starkest health inequities in our state. Black mothers in Texas are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White mothers. Black Texans are also disproportionately affected by diabetes and too often lack access to the non-medical resources that support long-term health, including stable housing, nutritious food, and economic opportunity.
These aren’t isolated issues – they are connected.
A mother experiencing housing instability or food insecurity during pregnancy faces higher risks for gestational diabetes and other pregnancy complications. Those challenges don’t end at delivery; they can persist and evolve into chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes years later. Maternal health and diabetes are deeply connected by the same non-medical factors that shape health across a lifetime. Addressing one means addressing the other, and both require us to look beyond the clinic to the conditions in which people live, work, and raise families.
This month, EHF is celebrating Black leadership and innovation. We’re lifting up the progress driven by community leadership and reaffirming our commitment to support the community-driven work that is changing systems, removing barriers, and building healthier futures for all Texans.