Maternal Health

Toxic: A Black Woman’s Story is a film developed to address the root causes of infant mortality and racial disparities in infant mortality rates.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health recognized 20 organizations, including AHA-member hospitals and health systems, for their effective programs to monitor and provide follow-up care for hypertensive disorders to pregnant and postpartum women.
The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded states and territories an additional $81 million in emergency funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which provides voluntary home visits to improve maternal and child…
America’s hospitals and health systems are committed to providing the best possible care for all women, including pregnant women, new mothers and their babies, and to amplifying the voices of women of color who are disproportionately affected by maternal morbidity and mortality.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., released an Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health, which calls for a “a whole-of-society effort to address longstanding challenges, strengthen the resilience of young people, support their families and communities, and mitigate the pandemic’s mental…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services intends to propose adding a “birthing-friendly” hospital designation on its Care Compare website to drive improvements in perinatal health outcomes and maternal health equity, the Department of Health and Human Services announced.
The White House hosted a summit to mark the first federal Maternal Health Day of Action. The summit highlighted actions the federal government is taking to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. 
The House passed the Maternal Vaccination Act (H.R. 951), an AHA-supported provision from the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act that would direct the Health and Human Services Secretary to carry out a national campaign emphasizing the importance of maternal vaccinations.
Learn how Virtua Health empowered OB-GYN physicians and nurses to integrate protocols that lowered C-section, hypertension and hemorrhage rates for patients in labor in this AHA Members in Action case study and podcast. 
Virtua Health, a comprehensive community health system, serves communities in southern New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia region. The health system sees 8,000 to 9,000 deliveries across three of its five acute care hospitals, making women’s health among its leading service lines. Virtua used…