Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday a new program that will look to address inequities in maternal and infant health across the city. 

It is an issue that has been brought up by elected officials in the past. Adams discussed a plan to create greater access to doulas and midwives. 

The plan also looks to improve maternal care at local hospitals and birthing centers. 

The key parts of the plan are the following: 

The Citywide Doula Initiative: 

This aims to train 50 doulas and reach 500 families by the end of June. 

The Midwife Initiative: 

This aims to expand all 38 public and private birthing facilities in the city and allow the city’s Department of Health to gather data to develop a report on midwives in the city. 

The plan also aims at expanding the Maternity Hospital Quality Improvement Network–including training for staff in racial equity. 

"It's so important that we connect expectant moms and their families to vital resources such as healthy foods, prenatal classes and doulas. We need to focus on those important issues. Every parent knows giving birth can be beautiful but in far too many cases it has been tragic,” said Adams. 

A big part of the mayor’s plan is equal access to these services using the doula initiative as an example. He says they’ll be provided to eligible residents in 33 neighborhoods, identified by the task force on racial inclusion and equity.