Black women in America face stark disparities in maternal health. The latest CDC data shows Black maternal mortality at 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births—more than three times the rate for white women. More than 80 percent of these deaths are preventable.
HealthConnect One, which has spent nearly four decades developing community-based models to address these disparities, will present its work at the 2026 Black Maternal Health Conference & Training Institute next month in Atlanta.
Dr. Twylla Dillion, the organization's president and CEO, along with National Advocacy Manager Tiwani Oseni and Research Liaison Dr. Breana Turner, will present September 10-12 at the conference organized by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. The gathering has become the flagship convening for clinicians, researchers, policymakers, birth workers and community advocates working on Black maternal health and justice.
The timing coincides with HealthConnect One's 40th anniversary, marking four decades of work by community health workers—predominantly Black women—who have filled gaps in the formal medical system. The organization's model centers community-based doulas and breastfeeding peer counselors, birth workers whose lived experience and cultural knowledge build trust with families wary of institutions.
Doulas—trained birth companions who provide emotional, physical and informational support—cost less than many medical interventions yet evidence shows they improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary medical procedures.
During the conference, HealthConnect One's presentations will focus on three areas: research, policy advocacy and program design.
Dr. Turner will present the MENTOR Framework for culturally grounded doula training and DoulaREADI, which focuses on integrating community-based doulas into hospital systems.
Oseni's session, "Doulas Are for Every Body," addresses expanding access to doula support, which has historically been limited by class and race. Her work reframes community-based care as a fundamental right and public health investment rather than charity.
Dr. Dillion's keynote, "Rooted in Justice, Designed for Joy," emphasizes that maternal health equity work must address both structural violence in the system and the possibility of better outcomes that respect the dignity, autonomy and joy of Black mothers and birthing people.
HealthConnect One's presence at the conference illustrates what health equity can look like when led by and accountable to the communities it serves, remaining grounded in resourcing the expertise of doulas, peer counselors and community health workers with lived experience.
