In September 2019, we initiated a PCORI-funded comparative effectiveness study, Engaging Mothers and Babies—Reimagining Antenatal Care for Everyone (EMBRACE), to compare 2 forms of enhanced prenatal care—Glow! Group Prenatal Care (Glow/GC) and the California Department of Public Health’s Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program with individual prenatal care (CPSP/IC)—in terms of preterm birth rates, mental health outcomes, and care experiences among low-income pregnant people in Fresno, California. By March 2020, we had enrolled 101 participants, most of whom identified as Latinx (65.4%), Black (7.9%), or multiracial, including Black or Latinx (11.9%). Sheltering in place and physical distancing guidelines implemented in response to COVID-19 immediately halted all recruitment activities. The COVID-19 pandemic radically altered prenatal care, profoundly affecting our comparators. In particular, telehealth was recommended as an alternative to most in-person visits. These changes, combined with barriers to telehealth use among low-income populations, had the potential to increase racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in prenatal care and associated outcomes.
