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Adding a patient navigator to postpartum care could be a game-changer for new moms. A Northwestern Medicine study found that low-income mothers paired with navigators were far more likely to attend postpartum visits, get screened for depression, and connect with primary care a year after delivery — all by tackling everyday barriers like transportation, childcare, and confusing health information.
For many new mothers, the hardest part isn't childbirth — it's navigating a fragmented healthcare system while juggling a newborn, limited resources, and little support. A new Northwestern Medicine study published in JAMA Health Forum shows that pairing low-income postpartum patients with trained patient navigators can make a striking difference in their long-term health outcomes.
The study followed 405 pregnant individuals at Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago from 2020 to 2024. Navigators — bilingual in English and Spanish — worked with patients from late pregnancy through the first year postpartum, helping schedule appointments, arrange transportation and childcare, and build health literacy so mothers could eventually manage their own care independently.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: The "fourth trimester" is a critical but often overlooked window for women's health. Conditions like gestational diabetes and preeclampsia can have lasting effects, and postpartum depression goes undetected far too often. Patient navigation — already funded by Medicaid in cancer care — could be a scalable, high-impact model for closing these gaps in maternal health.
