As stark disparities in maternal care continue to threaten Black and Indigenous women—they Two to four times more likely to die during childbirth– and increased risk to babies, a range of public and private organisations are focused on tackling this problem.This includes some Providers, Payers and Startups Committed to closing disparities and improving maternal care for all, such as Maternal Health Corporation Mami.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles-based startup Announce It has raised $9.2 million in Series A funding led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Growth Equities business. The company’s CEO, Melissa Hanna, said in an email that Mahmee has made progress in reducing disparities in maternal care and will use the funds to grow its business and expand partnerships. Founded in 2014, Mahmee has raised a total of $13 million to date.
“This is a milestone raise for the company and something we’ve been working towards since the pandemic began,” said Hannah, who is also a co-founder of the company. “The importance of Mahmee’s fundraising cannot be overstated as it means a maternal health technology company showing such dramatic improvements in birth outcomes and cost savings in the healthcare industry, one of the world’s largest investment firms The scale of its efforts has been supported.”
Hanna said the funding will be used to expand Mahmee’s team, community-based provider network and roster of payers and health system partners. Mahmee provides a Maternity Management Platform and a national network of community birthing professionals, including its own in-house nurses and care coordinators.
Company provides subscription services to municipal health departments, hospitals and insurance companies $49 per month or $500 per year. A 7-day-a-week subscription to real-time support called “Mahmee Gold,” providing new and expecting parents with a team of nurses and care coordinators who proactively screen and monitor health needs. Care providers also refer culturally competent professionals and assist in navigating social services, according to the company.
“Many of today’s ‘femtech’ and ‘maternity tech’ apps are point solutions that are part of maternal care. Closing care gaps and eliminating systemic racism requires more than apps,” Hannah said. “Mahmee focuses on provider collaboration and communication to catch problems before they pose a life-threatening risk to mom or baby. The company offers both a software platform and a service model to deliver care differently, which is why we achieved Very good birth result.”
Compared to the national average, Mahmee patients were 10% less likely to have a caesarean section and 50% less likely to deliver prematurely, according to the company.
“In Mahmee’s population, Black and Indigenous birth rates are three times higher than the U.S. birth census, but Mahmee’s birth outcomes are far better than the national average, suggesting that the country’s maternal health care disparities can be addressed,” ‘ said Hannah.
Other startups offer apps and services to support women during pregnancy, aiming to reduce disparities in maternal care, such as Volomi. In addition to startups and healthcare providers, payers such as the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Targeting racial inequalities in health, including maternal health.
But Hanna doesn’t see any other organization as a direct competitor to Mahmee. Instead, she said she sees an opportunity for more partnerships to close disparities in maternal health.
“No single company can solve this problem alone,” she said. “I believe partnership and collaboration between organizations are critical to the success of this mission.”
Photo: FatCamera, Getty Images
