Maternal and Child Health News

A study published May 27 by JAMA Internal Medicine found declines in self-reported maternal m

Rebecca B. Chickey, MPH, AHA’s senior director, behavioral health services, closes Mental Health Awareness Month with a blog highlighting what the AHA and member hospitals and health systems are doing to support American children and adolescents during the current mental health crisis and previewing how the AHA will share more insight about youth mental health throughout the year.

Adrienne Coopey, D.O., a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, discusses how a fully virtual collaborative care model helps deliver early behavioral health interventions and improve access and outcomes for children across West Virginia

Beth Heinz, senior vice president, Women’s and Children’s Services at Yale New Haven Health, and Cheri Johnson, chief nursing officer, Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, La., write about how the inte

Across the nation, more and more hospitals and health systems are expanding access to treat the rapidly growing numbers of children and adults in crisis who need mental health services.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention May 8 released an analysis that found declines in hospitalizations for infants infected with respiratory syncytial virus during the 2024-2025 RSV season.

In observance of Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week May 4-10, the Health Resources and Services Administration highlighted its Pediatric Mental Health Care Access program that is available to provide free teleconsultation services for health professionals to help them better care for children and youth with behavioral health concerns.

In an AHA podcast, Women & Infants Hospital's Shannon Sullivan, president and chief operating officer, and Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D., director of behavioral medicine research, discuss the stigma surrounding maternal mental health, the challenges new mothers face and the innovative programs that are having success in maternal well-being and postpartum depression prevention.

Nearly 1 in 10 infants (9.8%) were admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit in 2023, an increase of 13% from 2016, according to a

Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., member of the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust and the bipartisan Maternal Health Caucus, spoke to AHA Annual Meeting attendees May 5 about the threats posed to the Medicaid program, particularly how major cuts under consideration in Congress would threaten access to vital care, including maternal health services.

The Health Resources and Services Administration announced its toll-free number (1-833-TLC-MAMA) and promotional toolkit are available in advance of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, May 5-11.

U.S. births grew 1% in 2024 to 3.6 million, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists April 17 released

The National Institutes of Health April 7 released a study that found twins — smaller at birth on average than singletons — develop slower in early pregnancy than what was previously known. T

A National Institutes of Health study pub

The U.S. birth rate fell 2% in 2023 to about 3.6 million, according to final data released March 18 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A case study by the AHA's Community Health Improvement network explains how Children’s Mercy Kansas City created a new model to coordinate its community health efforts and make more progress at a faster rate.

President Trump Feb. 13 signed an executive order establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission, to be chaired by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The commission is tasked with “investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with an initial focus on childhood chronic diseases.” 

A study by the Penn State Department of Nut

The U.S. maternal mortality rate decreased to 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, down from 22.3 in 2022, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.