Cradle Cincinnati
Service Design and Strategic Planning to Eliminating Infant Mortality in Cincinnati
Role
Lead Design & Strategy Consultant
My Deliverables
Design Research, Journey Map, Service Design, Strategic Plan, Final Report
Location
Remote - Ohio/ New York
Team
4
In the United States, Black babies are 2–3 times more likely to die than white babies. Cradle Cincinnati—a collaborative network aimed at shifting racial disparities in birth outcomes— sought a strategic plan to guide its network. I worked with the client to identify the needs of the Hamilton County community develop a 5-year strategic plan and design a suite of services aimed at eliminating Black infant mortality.
Project Brief
How might we further reduce the infant mortality rate?
THE SOLUTION
Centering mothers’ perspectives in all services, programs, and care for birthing people in across Cincinnati
RESEARCH PROCESS
As Lead, I led a team in deploying research methodology with multiple stakeholders who influence the system, including designing and managing the research, user engagement strategy, and data analysis for this project.
Through mix method engagement strategy, I spoke with over 111 participants to generate insights about mothers' journeys before, during, and after pregnancy.
Our findings from this research were turned into personas and journey maps used in facilitated design sessions with mothers, service providers, and medical professionals to come up with a solution for Cradle Cincinnati.
DESIGN SESSION & WORKSHOPS
To have mother voice front and center in the decision-making process, I led the designing, coordination, and facilitation of a series of in-person ideation and community designs sessions where parents, social service providers, doctors, funders, and community health workers came together to listen to mothers’ stories and generate ideas on addressing the identified challenges of the infant mortality ecosystem.
THE RESULT
Through the community-centered research engagements, We learned Black infant mortality cannot be addressed without keeping four critical areas at the forefront of Cradle Cincinnati’s programming. They are:
Using our four leverage points, I lead the development of a 5-year strategic plan and report for Cradle Cincinnati, including goals, objectives, strategies, and services that the organization must utilize through their work, and recommendations alluding to how different stakeholders can work together to change the status quo for maternal and infant care in Cincinnati.
