In Texas, a rare program offers hope for some of the most vulnerable women and babies

Domestic abuse of the staff in the households of the 1% is often overlooked or ignored. But foreign missions in the US that abuse their domestic staff are finally being held accountable.

Baltimore's infant mortality rate has dropped by 24 percent, and health officials there as well as independent research groups have credited the city's B'More for Healthy Babies initiative, launched in 2009.

MenCare is a health education program for rural Rwandan fathers, which teaches tactic for parenting, couples communication, and understanding prenatal care. Families whose patriarch participated in the program reported less domestic violence than those in a control group. Educational groups for men are part of a movement for women’s empowerment.

In Brooklyn, along with 2 other locations in New York, new mothers are receiving free lactation consultations, helping them to learn how to breastfeed their babies - but also building a sense of community for these mothers. While the ultimate goal of the so-called Baby Cafes is to lessen the barriers to breastfeeding, the community and support they provide are also essential to encouraging the practice.

Health providers are well-positioned to identify and help those who have experienced domestic violence. Nepal is one of several countries training medical workers to identify abused patients and refer them to in-hospital crisis support services.

The simple addition of adding handles to bathroom stalls in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh has helped the camps' pregnant women regain a sense of empowerment and dignity. Providing support and balance, the design of these latrines have benefited the elderly in the camps as well.

To reduce maternal mortality in the Masai region of Tanzania, Catholic nuns with Sisters of Notre Dame are building hospitals and educating local women about the importance of giving birth in a medical setting. Although this goes against the community's use of a "traditional birth attendant," delivering in a hospital allows for emergency situations to be better addressed and is receiving positive feedback from women in the region.

Vermont has opened its first donor milk center which acts as a breast milk bank for mothers that are in need of milk for their newborn babies. The Vermont Donor Milk Center aims to be a "one-stop shop," and also offers lactation consultation, maternal education, and supports for non-lactating partners.

Better Reproductive Health, Better Communities Project is a partnership between nonprofits and medical providers working to increase awareness about unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions, while also ensuring women have better access to high-quality post-abortion care. The project has focused on providing family planning and emergency contraception to women in low-income urban areas. Volunteer peer educators and social media has helped reach over 4,000 women, spreading information about sexual and reproductive health services and connecting women to quality abortion care.

Mexico's Pilot Program for Licensed Physicians brings Mexican doctors to the states to address the lack of culturally relevant healthcare and Spanish-speaking healthcare providers, particularly in rural areas with large immigrant populations. Currently, the program has 30 Mexican doctors working in various counties throughout the state.