To the Maternity Care Coalition community,
As a valued partner in our work, it is always my desire to keep you informed on how MCC addresses important issues impacting our mission. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, there was an overwhelming sense of fear and uncertainty for everyone. Our aim was, and remains, to communicate with transparency and ensure our families and staff are fully supported.
This week’s news regarding the freeze in federal funding rattled the entire social services sector. After first being informed, MCC’s Executive Team called a special meeting to discuss the impact of the potential freeze on our services, clients, and staff. Much has changed since the release of the first memo, and at this time we have no additional information indicating changes to our program funding.
MCC is funded through a variety of means including federal, state, and local contracts; private, public, community, and family foundations; and individual and corporate donors. Our commitment to families includes their access to all resources spanning the social determinants of health, which are often provided by nonprofits and government agencies. Therefore, MCC stands firm in our belief that freezing federal funds will have a devastating impact on our entire nation, and most notably marginalized communities across the US.
An internal task force has been created to monitor the situation; discuss any other federal administration executive orders, proposed policy changes, and memos that would have an impact on our programs and services; and to determine our response, when appropriate. For example, we continue to monitor rapidly developing changes to immigration policy and how it will impact the communities we serve to ensure staff safety and our ability to support families during this time. We are outlining and communicating safety protocols for staff and families and sharing resources that explain immigrants’ rights.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure parents can birth with dignity, parent with autonomy, and raise babies who are healthy, growing and thriving. I am grateful for your continued support in our work to get us where we are today, and where we are headed. It will take each one of us to be courageous and stand up for justice.
Thank you, as always, for joining me in creating a more equitable world for everyone.
