FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Empowerment Foundation
Cincinnati, OH 45239
(513) 284-0301
www.life-empowerment.org

Contact:
Dr. Corinn Taylor, EdD, MSN, RN
drcorinn@lifeempowermentfoundation.org
Cell: (513) 284-0301

The Empowerment Foundation Enters MVP Development of EmpowerHealth Watch App to Advance Maternal Health Equity

Following findings from the 2025 Amplifying Voices report, the Foundation moves into technical development of a health literacy and self-advocacy platform designed to support Black mothers in real-time healthcare settings.

CINCINNATI, OH — April 2, 2026 — The Empowerment Foundation has officially entered MVP development — the first working version — of the EmpowerHealth Watch app. This culturally affirming digital platform was developed in response to findings from the 2025 Amplifying the Voices of Pregnant and Postpartum Women report, which documented the lived experiences of 31 Black mothers and identified systemic gaps in communication, trust, and patient empowerment within maternal healthcare.

EmpowerHealth Watch is designed to strengthen health literacy and self-advocacy by providing practical, real-time tools that help mothers navigate pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care with greater clarity and confidence. Core features include birth plan development, plain-language explanations of medical terms and procedures, structured appointment preparation tools, symptom documentation, patient rights education, private journaling, and community-informed provider feedback.

Rather than replacing clinical care, the platform enhances a patient’s ability to engage knowledgeably and confidently within healthcare systems. The app is being built using a community-informed design model, with Black mothers, doulas, and maternal health advocates shaping its features, language, and usability to ensure cultural relevance and practical application. Open beta testing is anticipated in late summer 2026.

Parallel to the app’s development, the Foundation continues expanding its Empowered Connections initiative — a structured, six-module Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) training delivered across three months to community-based organizations serving vulnerable populations. The training equips community health workers, outreach teams, doulas, and neighborhood-based agencies with strategies to recognize trauma responses, strengthen culturally responsive communication, create emotionally safe service environments, and implement trauma-informed screening and referral practices while protecting workforce wellness. The program is undergoing formal mixed-methods evaluation to assess knowledge gains and applied practice changes, informing future expansion.

By combining digital health literacy tools for individuals with trauma-informed workforce development for community organizations, The Empowerment Foundation is advancing a dual-level strategy that addresses both patient empowerment and systems strengthening.

“We are moving beyond documenting disparities to implementing structured, community-informed solutions,” said Dr. Corinn Taylor, Executive Director of The Empowerment Foundation. “EmpowerHealth Watch strengthens the voice of the patient, while Empowered Connections strengthens the capacity of the community. Sustainable change requires both.”

This integrated approach aims to address persistent maternal health inequities by improving communication, trust, and accountability across community and healthcare systems.