By Taleen Yepremian and Vince Pancucci

For one community health center, language stood between many Haitian-Creole-speaking patients and the prenatal care they deserved. Traditional prenatal visits left little room for questions or connection, especially for those navigating care in a new country and a new language. When the clinic launched Group Prenatal Care, which combines traditional prenatal visits with group support sessions, these patterns began to change. 

Haitian Creole-speaking staff helped lead sessions, interpreters bridged languages, and more family members joined in. Soon, patients weren’t coming just for checkups, they were coming for each other. What began as a pilot for a new model of care has grown into a model that the health center now hopes to make the norm for all pregnant patients rather than the exception. 

Far too many families in the United States face high maternal mortality rates. Even beyond mortality, serious complications such as preeclampsia, preterm birth, and postpartum depression continue to rise. 

Health centers across the country work daily at the center of this problem, where prenatal care, postnatal care, and close patient-provider relationships create opportunities to change outcomes. Yet they often face challenges, such as workforce shortages, inconsistent care coordination, and limited capacity and resources, that constrain their impact. 

HealthBegins supported health centers across the country, including the one described above, to find new ways to overcome these hurdles and make maternal health more effective. Their innovation, courage, and commitment revealed useful strategies to address one of the greatest challenges underlying maternal health: social isolation. 

Pregnancy can be joyful, but it can also be isolating. Especially for those navigating it alone, far from friends and family, or facing barriers like language, transportation, or access to care. Low social support during pregnancy is significantly linked to higher risks of depression, anxiety, and even self-harm. A meta-analysis found that approximately 17% of mothers worldwide experience postpartum depression. Rates were significantly higher among those experiencing low income, low education, and low social support, indicating how stressful conditions can heighten risk. When pregnant individuals have strong social support, those risks decrease.

A solution created by the health centers we worked with was to intentionally foster community, not as an extra but within the provision of care itself.  

In clinical settings, we tend to forget the power of creating community with folks going through a similar situation. Group Prenatal Care (GPC) harnesses that power to improve health outcomes for birthing parents and infants by integrating traditional prenatal care with peer support and health education. 

Studies show varying findings on the impact of GPC in reducing preterm birth and NICU admissions but indicate that women in GPC report significantly better psychosocial outcomes than those receiving individual care. They gain more knowledge about pregnancy and feel better prepared for labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. GPC doesn’t change how prenatal care is delivered; it changes how it is experienced. By bringing together individuals who might otherwise feel isolated, it transforms care into community. 

HealthBegins has brought health centers together in a collaborative space to share best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and celebrate successes. These centers served incredibly diverse communities (urban, rural, multicultural, multilingual), and each one approached GPC in its own creative way. 

What we saw was inspiring. Health center staff were deeply passionate about making GPC work, even when resources were limited. They developed new workflows, hired additional staff, rearranged clinical spaces, and learned new facilitation skills—all because they believed in the power of group care. Through this work, one thing became clear: connection is care. And GPC works best when it is designed and structured to facilitate connection among patients and between patients and providers, within the context of their real lives, cultures, and needs.

As we worked alongside these health centers, these powerful lessons emerged: 

• Care isn’t complete without patient voices. In group care, patients aren’t just recipients of care, they’re participants. Health centers engaged patients and individuals with lived experience when designing or adapting curriculum for their GPC model. They hosted focus groups and consulted patient advisory boards so that the model reflected experiences, needs, and values relevant to their communities.  
• Diversity is a strength, not a barrier. We learned how powerful it was when health centers tailored GPC to reflect the language, culture, and traditions of their communities. Whether it was creating new curricula, offering bilingual sessions, or inviting doulas to co-facilitate, these adaptations made care feel familiar. Health centers saw participation increase when patients felt welcomed and able to participate. It reminded us that diversity isn’t something to work around but rather something to build on. 
• Care extends beyond clinical walls. GPC created bridges between health centers and their community resources. Health centers integrated social needs and behavioral health screenings. They built relationships with community-based organizations, WIC agencies, and public health departments. These relationships linked patients with essential resources such as nutrition support and transportation. 
• Connection is not a bonus, but a core part of care. Health centers were intentional about creating a positive and collaborative space for their patients. They leveraged GPC sessions to celebrate wins and support one another through challenges. They invited patients’ partners or friends to join sessions. One health center threw a baby shower for its patients and provided them with critical gifts such as car seats. Others hosted reunions to help participants stay connected after birth. Health centers created spaces not just for the delivery of information but for questions, storytelling, and shared problem-solving. This shifted the classic provider-patient dynamic to a more collaborative relationship where patients learn from peers and GPC facilitators, helping to build trust and connection. 

In the end, GPC changes how people experience prenatal care by bringing together people who might otherwise feel isolated into a community with others who share their journey. It creates an opportunity for every pregnant person to access essential social support with a community that sees and values them—and for dedicated healthcare providers to translate their efforts into powerful impact, even with limited resources. Because when care becomes community, every parent feels seen, supported, and accompanied.

For a deeper look at the evidence supporting group prenatal care, explore the Social Needs Investment Lab’s evidence assessment here.