Group Care Global |

Group Care Global‘s mission is to promote group health care for pregnant and parenting people, infants, partners, and their families to improve health and well-being.

To support this mission, Group Care Global collaborates with international partners to integrate Centering-Based Group Care into health systems.

As a US-based independent non-governmental organization, we commit to continuing to work in partnership with colleagues around the world to ensure that local knowledge, supportive relationships, and connection are at the forefront of how care is delivered and experienced. We value the lives of people wherever they live, respecting and celebrating the diversity that exists throughout the world, including differing abilities, sexuality, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, age, language, and economic and immigration status. We strive to strengthen meaningful collaboration based in equity, inclusion, and human dignity.

What is Group Care?

Want to learn more about Group Care? Here are two videos made through the GC_1000 initiative.

Stories about GroupCare

“Little Pearls, short group care stories with a large impact”. A joint publication of TNO, the KNOV, the Centering Nederland Foundation and Group Care Global. The book was first distributed in the English version at the GC_1000 launch meeting in Leiden, Netherlands, February 2020.

Read the full publication here.

Community Building

A Blueprint for the Newborn Neighbourhood

One of the three core components of Group Care is Community Building, both among participants in the group itself, as well as with the larger community where they live, work, and raise their families. The Blueprint is a community approach that connects (future) parents with neighborhood resources. Because it takes a neighbourhood to raise a child!

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Group Care Global

2 days ago

When people come together in a Group Care session, learning becomes a shared experience.While facilitators guide the conversation, participants bring something equally valuable: their own experiences, questions, insights, and encouragement. Hearing how others have navigated similar challenges can offer practical ideas, reassurance, and a sense of connection that no textbook can provide.Peer learning creates an environment where everyone contributes, everyone listens, and everyone grows together. It transforms care from a one-way conversation into a supportive community where knowledge is shared, confidence is built, and lasting relationships are formed.At Group Care Global, we believe that some of the most meaningful learning happens not just from experts but from each other.💬 What's something you've learned from someone else'#groupcarec#peerlearninge#CommunityLearningm#groupcareglobalG#CollaborativeLearningo#LearningTogethere#MaternalHealth##HealthEquityh#communitybuildingmmunityBuilding ... See MoreSee Less

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Group Care Global

7 days ago

What does Group Care look like in practice?Picture a group of women at similar stages of pregnancy meeting regularly with trained healthcare providers.Each session brings together three essential elements:• Individual health assessments• Facilitated, interactive learning• Peer connection and supportParticipants still receive essential clinical care, including routine assessments and risk identification. But instead of relying only on brief, provider-led appointments, group care creates more time for meaningful conversation.Participants can ask questions, discuss topics that matter to them, learn from one another, and take a more active role in their own care. Depending on the program, this can include tracking their weight or blood pressure and better understanding their personal health information.The healthcare provider’s role also evolves. Providers facilitate discussion and help the group explore pregnancy, birth, parenting, infant health, emotional well-being, relationships, and other topics shaped by participants’ needs.Over time, something powerful can happen: trust grows.Participants build relationships with their providers and with one another. Those connections can reduce isolation, strengthen confidence, and create a support network that continues beyond the scheduled sessions.Group Care is not simply individual care delivered in the same room. It is a different care experience one built around participation, shared learning, respectful relationships, and community.Through GC_1000, partners explored how this model could be adapted for different cultures, communities, and health systems while preserving its essential foundations.Learn more: cordis.europa.eu/article/id/454274-making-group-care-for-the-first-1-000-days-more-accessible#GroupCare #GC1000 #MaternalHealth #AntenatalCare #PostnatalCare #First1000Days #HealthEquity #Midwifery ... See MoreSee Less

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Group Care Global

2 weeks ago

What was GC_1000 and why did it matter?The first 1,000 days, from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday, are foundational for lifelong health and well-being. Yet many women and families particularly those experiencing social or economic vulnerability continue to face barriers to accessible, respectful, high-quality care.GC_1000 was an international, EU-funded initiative created to help address that challenge through group care.From 2020 to 2024, Group Care Global joined partners across Belgium, Ghana, Kosovo, the Netherlands, South Africa, Suriname, and the United Kingdom to explore how group antenatal and postnatal care could be adapted, implemented, sustained, and scaled in different health systems and communities.Group care brings clinical assessment, health information, and peer support together in a shared setting. It gives participants more time to learn, ask questions, become involved in their own care, and build supportive relationships with one another and their healthcare providers.GC_1000 mattered because it moved the conversation beyond whether group care can make a difference. It examined what is required to make this model work sustainably and equitably across diverse real-world settings especially for communities too often underserved by traditional systems of care.The project generated research, practical tools, country-specific blueprints, and implementation lessons that can continue supporting providers and health systems around the world.Learn more: cordis.europa.eu/project/id/848147/results#GC1000 #GroupCare #First1000Days #MaternalHealth #NewbornHealth #HealthEquity #ImplementationScience ... See MoreSee Less

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Group Care Global

2 weeks ago

We’re excited to share that Group Care Global’s Deborah Billings, PhD, and Astrid Van Damme, CNM, PhD, will present at ICGMV’s 2026 Virtual Conference, “The Power of Groups: Understanding What Makes Group Medical Visits Effective.”Join their main session, “Centering-based group prenatal care across cultural settings: Modification processes for successful implementation,” to explore how group prenatal care models can be thoughtfully adapted for successful implementation across diverse cultural contexts.📅 Friday, September 18, 2026🕚 11:55 AM ET💻 Virtual conference🎓 7 CME credits availableView the program and register: icgmv.org/2026-conferenceWe look forward to connecting with the global group care community!#GMV #SMA #GroupMedicalVisits #SharedMedicalAppointments #GroupPrenatalCare #CenteringPregnancy #MaternalHealth #GlobalHealth ... See MoreSee Less

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Contact us: dbillings@groupcare.global. 6520 Wissahickon Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19119-3739