Call to Care:

Maternal
Health
Alexis Catlett, Shahla Dhanani, Margaret Norfleet & Sarah
Whitley
 SEVEN HUNDRED
women in the U.S. die every year due to
factors related to childbirth and/or
pregnancy.
Upstream Factors
• Unsafe homes & relationships
• Financial issues
• Access to local & affordable healthcare
• Current healthcare issues
• Geological location
Heart
• The US is one of the leading countries for childbirth death yet we are
one of the most medically advanced countries in the world.  It is not
an issue that is discussed in mainstream media compared to other
issues in this country.
Heart
Biases
• Women don’t care about their babies
• Women don’t care about their own lives
• People don’t like to get help because they are embarrassed
Heart
Negative effects of biases
• Embarrassment
• Fear
• Judgement
• Shame
Servant Head
• Pregnancy related deaths in the United States have steadily increased
since the 1980s which is surprising due to how much advancement
we have made in health care. Most maternal deaths occur due to
preventable diseases that could have been prevented through seeing
a primary care physician prior to pregnancy.
• Top 3 leading causes of maternal death as reported by the CDC are:
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Non-cardiovascular diseases
• Infection
Servant Head
• In an article written by the NPR, they address the issue that
infants get more attention after birth than the mother herself.
This can lead to devastating results.
• The main focus of that article being Lauren Bloomstein, a new
mom who died 20 hours after giving birth to her daughter.
• But why is the American maternal death rate higher than most
developed countries?
Servant Head
• Other contributing factors that impair maternal health:
• Access to quality care
• Cost
Helping Hands
State officials

• Senators

• Medicaid agencies

• Communities
Helping Hands

• Hospital officials

• Maternal mortality review committees

Helping Hands
Doctors

• Screening

• Assign pregnancy care manager

• Address social issues

Helping Hands

• Social workers

• Care managers
Barriers

• Lack of knowledge

• Lack of funding

• Lack of support
Habits
There are three factors contributing to the upward trend in maternal
mortality and morbidity in the USA
1. Inconsistent obstetric practice
2. Increasing number of women who present at antenatal clinics with
chronic conditions.
3. General lack of good idea – and related analysis – on maternal
health outcomes
Habits
• There are growing effort by physicians, nurses and community
organizations to address these three factors.
• Hospitals are beginning to implement standard approaches to
managing obstetric emergencies so that, wherever a woman gives
birth, she receives appropriate evidence-based care
• Community initiatives are coordinating care for high-risk women to
ensure good health and management of chronic conditions during
and beyond pregnancy.
• More states are establishing or strengthening maternal mortality
review boards.
World Health Organization Statistic
“Between 1990 and 2013, the maternal mortality ratio for the USA
more than doubled from an estimated 12 to 28 maternal deaths per
100 000 births and the country has now a higher ratio than those
reported for most high-income countries and the Islamic Republic of
Iran, Libya and Turkey. About half of all maternal deaths in the USA are
preventable.”
 References
Almendrala, A. (2018, August 30). Inspired By A Modest North Carolina Program, New Bills Aim To Lower Maternal Mortality Rates In The U.S. Retrieved

from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/maternal-mortality-rate-social-causes_us_5b87276ae4b0511db3d47c1c