# Brooklyn Digital Community Care Intervention to Address Unmet Social Needs and Optimize Engagement in Maternal Health Care

> **NIH NIH R21** · SUNY DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $280,885

## Abstract

Project Abstract
Central Brooklyn is the epicenter of the maternal health crisis in New York City. The highest rates
of severe maternal morbidity (SMM), considered “near misses” to maternal death, are found in
Black immigrant women, who are concentrated in Central Brooklyn. This situation reflects a
history of systemic racism and neglect. Women who lack adequate care throughout pregnancy
and post-partum are at higher risk of SMM and death. To address this public health crisis, we will
test the preliminary efficacy and acceptability of novel intervention prototype called We Care
About Brooklyn (WeCAB), which integrates principles of an evidence-based community-centered
care model and employs community health workers (CHWs) to connect with and support families
while leveraging a digital social determinants of health (SDOH) screening and closed-loop referral
system. We hypothesize that comprehensively addressing SDOH (basic survival needs such as
food security, decent housing, and childcare) will reduce barriers to healthcare utilization and
improve engagement in care throughout pregnancy and the post-partum period. We propose a
mixed-methods study design with the following specific aims: 1) tailor the existing digital SDOH
screening tool for Central Brooklyn and build clinician, client and community stakeholder fit to
inform the CHW intervention training protocol; 2) conduct a pilot RCT of WeCAB in the Central
Brooklyn maternal population to measure acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the system; and
3) identify barriers and facilitators to the adoption and integration of our intervention prototype into
routine maternal care through key informant interviews and a post-intervention survey. WeCAB
has the long-term potential to improve health during and after pregnancy in America’s historically
marginalized maternal populations who experience a disproportionate burden of adverse health
outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10606178
- **Project number:** 1R21NR020706-01
- **Recipient organization:** SUNY DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Aimee Afable
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $280,885
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-22 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10606178

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10606178, Brooklyn Digital Community Care Intervention to Address Unmet Social Needs and Optimize Engagement in Maternal Health Care (1R21NR020706-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10606178. Licensed CC0.

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