Creating a New Healthcare

Episode #183 Improving Maternal Healthcare in America: Why it’s not just a “Nice to Have” with Ann Somers Hogg, Director of Health Care, Clayton Christensen Institute

Sep 17, 2024

Ann Somers Hogg, Director of Health Care at the Clayton Christensen Institute, sheds light on alarming systemic barriers affecting maternal health in America. She emphasizes the need to view maternal health as a collective issue, moving beyond individual self-care. Ann discusses how employers can play a pivotal role by offering flexible work policies and fostering a caregiving culture. She advocates for societal shifts that prioritize supportive systems for working mothers, highlighting the long-term benefits of investing in maternal health for everyone.

28:39

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Ann Somers Hogg

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Quick takeaways

Maternal health outcomes are primarily hindered by systemic barriers, necessitating a collective effort rather than solely personal responsibility.

Employers have a pivotal role in enhancing maternal health by adopting supportive policies such as flexible work hours and childcare options.

Deep dives

The Role of Systemic Support in Maternal Health

Poor maternal health is largely influenced by systemic issues rather than individual choices, highlighting a need for societal recognition of this framework. Factors such as the absence of paid leave and escalating childcare costs create significant barriers for working mothers, which ultimately affects the health and productivity of both mothers and children. For instance, the exorbitant price of childcare has skyrocketed, consuming up to 27% of a family's income, far exceeding the Department of Health and Human Services' standard for affordable care. Addressing these systemic challenges is critical for improving maternal health outcomes and requires a shift in perspective, recognizing that solutions must encompass supportive systems, not just personal responsibility.

Intro

2min

A Journey Through Healthcare Strategy and Innovation

2min

Systemic Challenges in Maternal Healthcare

14min

Investing in Children's Futures: A Societal Responsibility

2min

Advocating for Maternal Health

9min

Ann Somers is the Director of Health Care at the Clayton Christensen Institute. Her research focuses on drivers of health (a.k.a. social determinants of health), maternal health, and the pathways to improve them. Ann Somers holds an MSPH in Health Policy and Management from UNC-Chapel Hill and a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia.

Last year, she authored a report for the Clayton Christensen Institute on the state of maternal health in the United States. The full report can be found here.

In our discussion today, Ann Somers talks about the alarming findings from that report including the systemic barriers that are contributing to poor maternal health outcomes. She explains the need for a shift from viewing maternal health as an individual problem to a systemic issue that requires collective solutions, rather than relying on individual self-care or asking for help.

Our focus with this podcast is both to bring awareness to important topics like this, but also to offer tangible, real ways that we can address the problem. So what can we do? Ann Somers explains the potential for employers to play a significant role in creating supportive systems and policies for working mothers, such as flexible work hours, shortened work weeks, and on-site childcare. But more globally, she impresses on us that we must catalyze a societal shift towards a culture of respect for caregiving that will push the implementation and standardization of policies that support working mothers and other caregivers.

Mothers are the backbone of our families, communities, and societies. And yet, we are not putting our money, resources, or attention towards supporting them. This issue needs to be discussed broadly, and the solutions Ann Somers shares need to be funded and deployed.

Addition: Recently, the U.S. Surgeon General published a report entitled Parents Under Pressure talking about the Mental Health and Well-Being of parents in the United States. We asked Ann Somers to comment on their findings and recommendations. Her thoughts are also included in this episode. A full version of the report can be found here.

Resources:

Moms First

Chamber of Mothers