Health services researchers can impact policies in clinical spaces, hospital administration, public health, and the legislative world. But to do so, they must understand that the implications of their findings, and how such findings may speak to different stakeholders, are…

Pregnancy and infant health outcomes in the US continue to lag behind other countries with similar economic performance, with rates of infant and neonatal mortality and preterm birth typically 2 to 3 times higher than that of other high-income nations. These adverse outcomes also…

Amid a persistent maternal mortality crisis in the United States, substance use is one of the most pronounced issues facing those who have recently given birth and other caregivers in Pennsylvania.Interviews PolicyLab conducted with key stakeholders and caregivers in recovery across…

Objective: To evaluate whether community factors that differentially affect the health of pregnant people contribute to geographic differences in infant mortality across the US.Study design: This retrospective cohort study sought to characterize the association of a novel…

To access the commentary, click here.The U.S. is confronting a perinatal mental health crisis rooted in policies and endemic racism that have significant negative impact on perinatal women and people, especially those from racial-ethnic minoritized backgrounds. This…

Since 2016, enactment of more punitive immigration policies resulted in more people avoiding health care and other public services in the U.S. Passage of policies such as the 2019 “public charge” rule change, which expanded the rules by which immigrants could be denied access to…

Introduction: Perinatal palliative care (PPC) is a rapidly growing and essential reproductive health care option for pregnant persons with a diagnosed life-limiting fetal condition who continue their pregnancy. The provision of PPC is within the scope of basic midwifery…

Research design: Community-engaged qualitative study using inductive thematic analysis of semistructured interviews.Objective: To understand Latine immigrants' recent prenatal care experiences and develop community-informed strategies to mitigate policy-related chilling…

PolicyLab responded to a request for comment from the Pennsylvania Bureau of WIC on the 2025 WIC State Plan of Program Operation and Administration.In their response, PolicyLab experts offered recommendations to help increase uptake rates in Pennsylvania’s WIC program and to lower…

IMPORTANCE: Immigrant birthing people have lower rates of preterm birth compared with their US-born counterparts. This advantage and associated racial and ethnic disparities across the gestational age spectrum have not been examined nationally. OBJECTIVE: To examine associations of…