PolicyLab responded to a request for comment from the Pennsylvania Bureau of WIC on the 2026 WIC State Plan of Program Operation and Administration.In their response, PolicyLab experts offered recommendations to help increase uptake rates in Pennsylvania’s WIC program and to lower…

Background: Postpartum parents of hospitalized infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have higher rates of chronic disease and pregnancy complications than parents of well newborns. NICU parents may prioritize remaining at their infants' bedsides over their own…

Many families in the Commonwealth struggle to afford the food they need to stay healthy. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) play a vital role in promoting child health and development…

At PolicyLab, we recognize that individuals impacted by substance use who are also caregivers of children need unique supports that are responsive to family context and experience.PolicyLab researchers are looking into programs and policies aimed at supporting families with a caregiver…

We examined changes in infant and neonatal mortality that occurred after extension in the minimum number of days of paid maternity leave and after the implementation of paid paternity leave in 148 cities using longitudinal city-level data (2000-2015) from Chile, Colombia, and Mexico,…

As abortion care restrictions increase, a growing population is continuing pregnancies complicated by life-limiting fetal conditions, making it more critical than ever to evaluate the state of the evidence in perinatal palliative care (PPC). Perinatal palliative care provides…

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created a unique set of challenges within the USA. The combination of the pandemic and long-standing systemic racism has generated greater maternal health disparities in minoritized populations, especially Black birthing individuals,…

Health services researchers can impact policies in clinical spaces, hospital administration, public health, and the legislative world. But to do so, they must understand that the implications of their findings, and how such findings may speak to different stakeholders, are…

Pregnancy and infant health outcomes in the US continue to lag behind other countries with similar economic performance, with rates of infant and neonatal mortality and preterm birth typically 2 to 3 times higher than that of other high-income nations. These adverse outcomes also…

Amid a persistent maternal mortality crisis in the United States, substance use is one of the most pronounced issues facing those who have recently given birth and other caregivers in Pennsylvania.Interviews PolicyLab conducted with key stakeholders and caregivers in recovery across…