Adonica Partners with Office of the California Surgeon General

As a student midwife new to the field, I am deeply passionate about improving maternal health outcomes in California. Recently, I engaged in extensive discussions with various stakeholders across the state to gain a deeper understanding of the California Maternal Health Blueprint and the newly launched Start Strong & Beyond Program.

These initiatives have inspired me to explore how midwives—and students in medicine, nursing, and midwifery—can collaboratively contribute to enhancing maternal health.

Midwives constitute approximately one-third of the maternal health workforce in California. And as part of the new class of midwives, I am eager to carve collaborative pathways for care - recognizing that every five days, a mother in California loses her life to pregnancy-related complications.

I have taken the first step by partnering with the Start Strong & Beyond Program. I look forward to collaborating on upcoming events and believe that integrating mental health support into maternal care can significantly contribute to reducing maternal mortality rates, and the ambitious goal to reduce California’s maternal mortality rate by 50% by December 2026 underscores the urgency of this mission.

I extend my deepest gratitude to the Office of the California Surgeon General and the diverse advisory group whose tireless work has been instrumental in shaping the Maternal Health Blueprint, as well as a number of esteemed advocates whose work, although privately done, was foundational to data made available to create the plan. I am particularly inspired by Dr. Ramos, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG, a fellow UC Irvine alumni, and the first Latina Surgeon General of California, whose academic pathway is exceptional, and inspiring to many minority students, and adult learners in medicine throughout the state.

Learn more & join the movement at StrongStartAndBeyond.org.