Chapel Hill, NC, February 22, 2024 — 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 Practical Playbook III features a diverse array of proven and promising solutions, making it an indispensable guide for stakeholders from all backgrounds and professions. Through a rigorous real-world application with an academic lens, editors and authors illuminate the collaborative efforts needed to create meaningful change in maternal health.

“There is something in the book for everyone: policymakers, advocates, clinical providers, public health practitioners, data scientists, and others working in health equity and community engagement,” said lead editor Dorothy Cilenti, DrPH, MSW, MPH, principal investigator for MHLIC. The book highlights numerous examples of efforts taking place to improve the maternal health journey, especially among Black women and birthing people and other populations experiencing poor maternal health outcomes.

The insightful content within The Practical Playbook III reflects the dedication of its editors and authors to advancing the discourse on maternal health and fostering collaboration among various stakeholders. This book is not just a scholarly contribution; it is a call to action for a collective effort to improve maternal health outcomes nationally.