Anthony DiGiorgio, DO, MHA’s Post

Government grants for health care and community groups to work together toward maternal health improvement is a decent start. But placing the responsibility primarily on the health care industry to resolve maternal and infant mortality rates is not truly systemic. I agree with Charity that there's value in enhancing the types of health services and service provided (coverage by CMS, insurance..). As a country, there's great opportunity to systemically address much of what contributes to the health factors of childbearing women and maternal care. Currently, many depend fully on financially and physically overwhelmed government or community resources and services for these contributing factors: water safety, poison safety, mental health checks, current/anticipated financial stress, basic items needed for a new baby, substance use, unsafe living situation (inability to pay for utilities, domestic violence, non- working stove or refrigerator, home repairs necessary to mitigate mold, lead, vermin), affordable nutrition, basic macros education, legal guidance to help them to have a job to return to, managing when formulas are recalled/ are unavailable, automobile safety, and home gun safety. And as Charity mentioned, a much needed change in corporate policies for maternity leave and to offer assistancewithchild care - for all employees - from front line service workers, to decision makers, to those working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. Data indicates that most babies are lost within the 12 months following delivery. Isn't this a good time for a parent to be present, well informed, and supported?

Wow! Maternal mortality in the US is about 5X higher than high income countries. Two thirds of our maternal deaths occur in the post partum period. Maternal mortality is significantly higher for black women than other women in the US. Some reasons for our unacceptable and solvable mortality rate... The US has no universal structure for incorporating midwives into maternity care. Most high income countries have many more midwives than OB-GYNS. The US does not. Home care visits for pregnant women are generally not covered by commercial insurance. Some State Medicaid programs cover one or two postpartum home visits. The US does not have mandated, paid maternity leave. Because postpartum care for both babies and mothers has high barriers to accessibility, many women skip these visits. Should we be thinking about training midwives and covering their services as part of a care team as we look at a shortage of almost 8,000 OBs in the coming years? What will it take to raise awareness of this substantive issue?

Here it is yet again: the US spends more on health care per capita, yet childbearing women die more than any other 1st world country A majority of deaths are within 42 days postpartum -> major causes being suicide and overdose. Part of this is that american women are being traumatized in the over-medicalized approach to pregnancy and birth management. A third of births are surgical, a number far beyond acceptable Other rising causes are exacerbations of under-lying conditions such as cardiomyopathy, diabetes, and hypertensive disorders. Our health systems are failing on numerous levels and people are getting sicker. This is a significant part of the problem Midwife practice is unfairly regulated and disregarded in the US (unmitigated control of assertive and competent women by men in power anyone?) Midwives, especially those providing culturally-congruent care, save lives It is bonkers that the US doesn't have paid parental/maternity leave. Hello -> people are dying postpartum. We need in home postpartum support and paid leave. How are we not there yet?!

An international comparison of maternal mortality by The Commonwealth Fund found that the US has the highest maternal death rate, with the rate for Black women far higher than any other group. This study underscores the importance of #SDOH on health outcomes and the importance of uncovering inequalities in your own population. #HopkinACG GeoHealth can help. #populationhealth https://lnkd.in/g6hHuhsD

The U.S. has the highest maternal death rate of any high-income nation, according to a recent report. The U.S. maternal mortality rate is 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 7.6 in France, 5.5 in the UK, 3.5 in Germany, and 0 in Norway. As you would expect, there is a troubling difference in the mortality rates among women of different races: for US-Asian, the number is 13.2; for US-Hispanig, 16.9; for US-White, 19.0; and for US-Black, 49.5. #healthcare #maternity

A great example of why it's important to be cautious when reading headlines and why data matters! This article challenges the commonly cited maternal mortality rates in the US by highlighting the differences in data collection methods between countries. Even with the adjustments argued by the author, the US still has a maternal health crisis; regardless of data nuances, the high rates of maternal deaths in the US demand urgent attention and action to improve maternal health outcomes! Notably, the article also overlooks the urgent issue of the Black maternal health crisis within the US when employing the same data collection methods. This omission underscores the necessity of not only accurate data analysis but also acknowledging and prioritizing the pressing needs of marginalized communities in addressing maternal health disparities. #maternalhealth #womenshealth https://lnkd.in/gdY2-cRK

The annual publication of the US maternal mortality rate leads to extensive, often alarmed, commentary from politicians, public health officials, and women’s health advocates. The official 2021 rate from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) was 32.9 maternal deaths per 100 000 births,1 which is the highest rate since 1964. The US rate, even accounting for COVID-19–related cases,2 remains higher than any other high-income country.

There may be signs of improvement in the maternal health crisis in the United States, according to a new report from the CDC. The report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that maternal mortality rates have dropped in 2022 from 2021, the first decrease since 2018.

Measuring US Maternal Mortality. The annual publication of the US maternal mortality rate leads to extensive, often alarmed, commentary from politicians, public health officials, and women’s health advocates. The official 2021 rate from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) was 32.9 maternal deaths per 100 000 births, which is the highest rate since 1964. The US rate, even accounting for COVID-19–related cases, remains higher than any other high-income country. https://lnkd.in/gTbtwj6H

A new call-to-action in The Lancet Global Health says a "global failure" to tackle #MaternalMortality rates is complicated by missing data that can show COVID's impact on MNH services and maternal death rates. Read more on the need for better collection of high-quality data: https://lnkd.in/exAsvhH5 #MaternalHealth #NewbornHealth