January 27, 2025- Maternal health in the United States is in a state of crisis – we have the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income nation, according to Harvard’s School of Public Health. There are high disparities in maternal healthcare across the country, especially among women of color and in rural communities, according to Ascension. On Maternal Health Awareness Day (January 23), legislators, health care professionals and families alike can raise awareness about maternal health issues, including maternal mortality and morbidity, access to quality health care and improving the outcomes for mothers before and after pregnancy.
For example, Ascension calls attention to the fact that more than 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Ascension advocates for legislation addressing maternal healthcare, addresses maternal health inequities through social determinants of health, and empowers mothers with maternal health navigators.
Continue Reading from Ascension here.