Maternal and Child Health News

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The National Institutes of Health launched the IMPROVE (Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone) initiative, which seeks to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities through research on the causes of maternal mortality and complications.
The House of Representatives passed by voice vote the AHA-supported Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services Act (H.R. 4996), as amended.
AHA’s latest Members in Action podcast dives into the importance of promoting race equity to ensure healthy pregnancies, healthy babies and better outcomes for the community in general.
AHA Sept. 23 sponsored the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference session, “Advancing Black Maternal Health: Moving the Momnibus and Coverage Expansion Forward.”
The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded states, territories and nonprofit organizations $341 million in fiscal year 2020 funding for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which provides voluntary home visiting services to pregnant women and parents with young children.
The House of Representatives passed the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 4995), which would create new Public Health Service Act programs to improve maternal health.
The recently created KidsX Accelerator program will bring together 32 pediatric hospitals from across the globe to partner with digital health startup companies to meet the unique needs of pediatric patients and their families.
In a sample of 598 hospitalized pregnant women with COVID-19, 55% had no symptoms on admission, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The AHA invites hospitals and health systems to participate in the Better Maternal Outcomes Improvement Sprint, a free, six-week program focused on reducing harm from maternal hemorrhage.
Many rural hospitals have been challenged with maintaining obstetric services but are now partnering with others to improve birth outcomes for mothers and babies.
As part of an effort to combat pregnancy-related complications and deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Hear Her campaign acknowledges that women know their own bodies better than anyone and can often tell when something does not feel right.
Approximately one-quarter of healthy women with low-risk pregnancies still undergo C-sections despite the potential risks to mothers and babies. To avoid unnecessary C-sections, hospitals are making strides in recognizing risk factors for mothers and babies sooner.
The Department of Health and Human Services amended the declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to authorize state-licensed pharmacists and pharmacy interns under their supervision to order and administer vaccines to children, subject to certain requirements.
Researchers have developed an expanded system for classifying serious maternal complications during hospitalization for childbirth, which can be used to compare severe maternal morbidity rates across hospitals and other patient populations, according to a study reported in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week launched Hear Her, a new campaign to raise awareness of pregnancy-related complications, risks and death.
Leaders of the Black Maternal Health Caucus virtually convened the second annual Stakeholder Summit, where members of Congress and supporting organizations urged passage of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act (H.R. 6142/S. 3424) to end preventable maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, and eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
AHA issued a refresh of its COVID-19 resource on ways hospitals and health systems are caring for mothers and babies during the pandemic.
While the COVID-19 pandemic placed a pause on routine medical visits and non-emergency procedures, people are still giving birth and in need of support from hospitals and health systems.