Bon Secours Mercy Health Launches Maternal Health Initiative in Williamsburg

Bon Secours Mercy Health announced a new maternal health initiative this week focused on reducing disparities in pregnancy-related outcomes for patients in and around Williamsburg.

The scope of the problem

Public health data cited by the hospital shows persistent gaps in maternal health outcomes across different communities in the region, a pattern hospital leaders say mirrors trends seen nationally.

"We can't treat this as an abstract statistic," the initiative's clinical lead said. "These are real families in our community, and the outcomes have been unacceptable for too long."

What the initiative includes

The program adds dedicated maternal health navigators who work with patients from early pregnancy through the postpartum period, helping coordinate appointments, address transportation barriers, and connect patients with community resources. The hospital is also expanding group prenatal care options and postpartum mental health screening.

Community partnerships

The initiative is being developed in partnership with local community organizations, including doula collectives and community health worker programs already active in the area.

"Hospitals can't do this work alone, and we're not trying to," a hospital spokesperson said. "The community groups already doing this work know things we don't."

What's next

Hospital leadership says it will track outcome data over the coming years to measure whether the initiative is closing the gaps it was designed to address, with results to be shared publicly on an annual basis.