Orange County Health Care officials quietly decided not to pursue renewing a state grant to fund a one-year old program aimed at supporting and preparing pregnant Black women for giving birth and keeping themselves and their newborns healthy.
The refusal comes amid a host of health disparities in the Black community when it comes to preterm births, low birth rates and postpartum depression.
Latye Livingston, a Fullerton mom, said the program is a lifeline for Black moms in OC and it has helped mothers not only with resources, but guidance – especially for first time parents.
“They are basically the backbone that a mom would need. Anything about the baby that I’m not sure of they have the answers to and I think that’s something that’s very important for a mom,” she said in an interview.
“Taking this resource away, I feel will really impact the community that we’ve already set up.”
Two OC Supervisors said health care agency officials decided not to pursue the funding because the program didn’t meet the state’s enrollment target for the grant.
“While the County was required to enroll at least 160 eligible participants annually, unfortunately, only 41 women have enrolled to date. As a result, the pilot program did not meet the enrollment thresholds required by the State in order to continue receiving funding,” said Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento in an email statement.
Program leaders say they have helped 70 moms and 104 kids since they opened their doors last year.
Supervisor Don Wagner echoed Sarmiento’s remarks, saying the program was also part of a study.
“Frankly, we just don’t have enough Black infants who would qualify for the program to be worthwhile,” he said in a phone interview.
“The truth is just here in Orange County, the population numbers are not sufficiently large to provide that critical mass, and so the program just becomes a lot more expensive to administer without getting the robust data that they would like.”
Officials with the California Department of Public Health, the state agency behind the funding, said to be eligible for funding a service area must include at least 440 Black birthing women or persons and that OC qualified for funding for one service area.
“For each funded service area, programs are expected to serve at least 128 participants per fiscal year, which reflects 80% of the annual participation goal of 160. These metrics were established based upon a combination of minimum program delivery standards, such as the number and size of groups, and past enrollment trends,” officials said in an email.
State public health officials said they haven’t made any funding cuts to the program and OC leaders opted not to accept funding.
“Orange County has chosen not to accept BIH funding to continue administering the program beyond June 30, 2026,” reads their response.
Leaders with BreastfeedLA, administrators of the county’s Black Infant Health program subcontracted by First 5 OC, say the lack of future funding will drastically reduce the services they are able to provide almost a year since they opened their doors.
They also say the program is the only space Black families receive culturally supportive care and resources for giving birth in Orange County and county officials have not been transparent about their decision to not pursue renewing the grant.
Jennifer Roberson, program manager for BreastfeedLA, said the loss of funding will force them to dial back their services after they directly helped at least 70 families over the past year and threatens the existence of a place specifically for Black moms and their kids.
“It’s going to be unfortunate that these moms don’t have a space where they are seeing other moms that have similar experiences and they don’t have to explain what it is like to be a black birthing person, just overall, but especially in Orange County,” Roberson said in a phone interview.
“They’re so excited that it’s finally here and now it is essentially being ripped away.”
Orange County Health Care Agency officials said public health services budget cuts are resulting in the scaling down of certain non-mandated services.
“Decisions about pursuing state and federal grants are made through careful analysis to ensure grant compliance, administrative and program requirements to operate the program with fidelity,” reads a statement from Salma Elshakre, a spokesperson for the Health Care Agency.
“In Orange County, the decision not to renew also would allow the funding to be made available to community‑based organizations.”
Sarmiento and Wagner said they’ve been assured there are other programs available for the mothers and their kids to help prevent health inequities.
“My question to HCA was ‘okay, if we stop doing this are we going to see worse results in those children who would qualify for the program,’ and the assurances I received from HCA were ‘no, we have programs, we have opportunities outside of this grant to provide for those kids,’” Wagner said.
Arissa Palmer, executive director for BreastfeedLA, said she understands how it feels to be isolated as a Black mother.
“As a mother who gave birth and raised a child in Orange County, I know firsthand how isolating the experience can feel without community support. Black families in Orange County already face significant barriers to culturally responsive care and resources,” she said.
Health Disparities & Transparency Concerns
The expected drop in funding comes after county officials released a report in December that found the percentage of low birth rates were the highest amongst the Black community in 2023 at nearly 14% – seven times more than the percentage of Black people who make up Orange County’s roughly 3.2 million residents.
It also found the percentage of preterm births in OC were second highest among Black infants in 2023 at 11% and found from 2020-2022, postpartum depression was second highest among Black pregnant persons at 16%.
Black people make up roughly 2% of Orange County’s population, according to the census.
Deirdre Harris, president of the NAACP of Orange County, said defunding the program could have devastating consequences on Black mothers and babies already facing disparities when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth.
“The program was created specifically because black women and infants experience disproportionate higher rates of maternal mortality, premature birth, pregnancy-related complications due to systemic inequities, chronic stress,” Harris said in a phone interview.
“It’s a lifeline for Black families.”
Harris said the loss of funding will mean new mothers will lose access to critical services and support at a vulnerable time in their lives.
“Removing these levels of support, it just deepens inequities, it increases isolation for these mothers who have nowhere else to go and it contributes to worsening maternal infant health and the outcomes in our community,” she said.
Roberson said they have tried to have conversations and get more information from county health care agency leaders about the decision but didn’t get much luck.
“There’s just not a lot of transparency in how this is all played out,” she said, adding the grant is expected to end on June 30.
Health care agency leaders said they have worked with both First 5 and BreastfeedLA on a transition plan to move moms to other program sites outside of the county.
They also say there are other programs they offer like the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program that provides home visitation services for prenatal and postpartum women, high‑risk populations, teen parents, first‑time parents, and medically high‑risk newborns.
“HCA is also collaborating with CalOptima to receive referrals for clients who meet the Black Birth Equity Population of Focus criteria, which is defined as a member who is pregnant or postpartum through 12 months, and subject to racial and ethnic disparities as defined by California public health data on maternal morbidity and mortality,” reads Elshakre’s statement.
Impacts to Orange County’s Black Infant Health Program
BreastfeedLA leaders said they opened the doors to Black Infant Health Center in February 2025 in partnership with First 5 OC and the OC Health Care Agency through a grant from the California Department of Public Health.
Health Care agency leaders say they got over $951,000 for the program for the 2025-26 fiscal year and contracted with First 5 OC who then subcontracted with BreastfeedLA.
Palmer said her organization was ultimately allocated $720,000 of that amount to run the program with additional funding support from First 5 OC.
The loss of that funding, Palmer adds, will likely mean they won’t be able to sustain their 10-week prenatal and postpartum support groups, childcare services, diaper giveaways, nutritious meals, transportation assistance and mental health support services.
She said despite the loss in funding the program would not end however and they would continue to provide prenatal education, lactation support and some case management services.
“We are hopeful there may be future opportunities to apply directly for (Black Infant Health) funding once the next state (request for proposals)is released, though it remains unclear whether organizations can apply independently without local health jurisdiction involvement,” Palmer said in an email.
Harris said her organization is calling on county leaders to protect and prioritize funding for programs that address health disparities in the Black community.
“Black mothers and infants continue to face health risks and barriers to care,” she said.
“We’re asking them to continue to invest in culturally responsive programs like Black Infant Health to ensure we’re providing outcomes that are positive, that we’re saving lives, and that we’re supporting the long-term and well-being of Black families in our community.”
Finding a Community For Black Moms
Livingston said the program helps get moms through postpartum depression by bringing people who are going through the same things together and providing them a place to share how they feel.
“While you’re opening up in group, all the other moms are going through the same thing, and then you realize, like, ‘oh, so I’m not alone, so other moms do go through things like this,’”
“Knowing that you’re not alone and knowing that you have support and knowing that you have all these other moms and women who look like you around to support you through this new phase, this new chapter, this new you – It’s very important. It can really make or break a mom’s postpartum experience.”
Taylor Rahachou, a Rancho Santa Margarita resident who’s seven months pregnant, said the program has had a big impact on her as a first time mother and she has found a supportive community.
“It’s nice to have that type of community to lean on,” Rahachou said in an interview.
“We don’t have a lot of programs out there for us and it’s kind of sad that we can’t have this one thing. This is important because we’re important and I think with the right tools we could help young moms, older moms that look like us so we don’t have to feel like we’re isolated.”
Melina Gipson, a community doula, said the program not only brings women together who are going through the same experiences, but provides them with resources to help them navigate their pregnancies and early motherhood no matter their income level.
“They have resources like lactation education. They also have people that they can send you to if you need help in that regard. They have mental health resources that they can connect you with and every time they do a meeting, they provide diapers, they provide wipes,” Gipson said.
“It’s cool because it’s like the Avengers coming together and we’re providing all these things for these moms for free and giving them things so that once they leave they can a) practice the things we’ve been working on, b) have the resources and not have to stress as much.”
Lindsay Orange, a Brea mom of five, said the program has been a relief for her and has helped make her feel like she isn’t alone.
“It was more than I could have ever asked for the comfort of the space in itself, and the warmth and genuine care of the people that are here. Learning the words and behind what I’ve been dealing with all this time, as far as postpartum, and all the struggles that come with being a mother,” Orange said in an interview.
Dreale Boyce, a single mom from Brea, said if the program disappears she will have no one to help watch her son Tytus and that the program helped get her through postpartum.
“Sometimes when you’re going through postpartum, you need people outside of you to be louder than voices in your head and they do exactly that,” she said. “With them being here and watching our kids, we can get a break and the kids still be around us.
Alex Awoyele, an Anaheim resident who is seven months pregnant, said the program helps alleviate the fears and stress Black women face when pregnant.
“I’m able to connect with other Black moms, I get resources and learn about prenatal health care, the birthing process – it eased my mind because birthing is scary. It’s always been scary, especially as a Black woman, because it’s like a death sentence,” she said.
Boyce said the program is needed in OC.
“There isn’t a lot of Black people out here, but the little that is out here – Black women – we need this,” she said
“We have nowhere else to go out here.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org.