Maternal and Child Health Resource Repository

The House Energy and Commerce Committee today advanced two AHA-supported bills to enhance maternal health care quality and outcomes, including in rural areas.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health voted to advance to the full committee a number of AHA-supported bills focused on maternal health and social determinants of health.

In a letter to Representatives Robin L. Kelly and Larry Bucshon, the AHA express support for H.R. 4387, the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act.

Sutter Health is a not-for-profit integrated health delivery system that operates 23 acute care hospitals and over 200 clinics in Northern California, with engagement in 30,000 births each year. Through its pregnancy and delivery quality improvement program, Sutter implemented continuous labor support, improved collaboration between care team members and reduced C-section and early-labor admission rates.

The AHA invites hospitals and health systems to participate in the Better Maternal Outcomes Improvement Sprint, a free, six-week program beginning July 27 that will focus on using huddles, checklists and debriefs to improve maternal health outcomes and equity.

To mark National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared new resources as part of its Hear Her campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of potentially life-threatening warning signs during and after pregnancy and improve communication between patients and their health care providers.

The National Institutes of Health announced it will award up to $400,000 to fund groups or individuals looking to design effective, innovative methods for identifying complication risks in first-time pregnancies.

The Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium has begun enrolling up to 1,000 pregnant and postpartum individuals who have or will receive COVID-19 vaccine in a study to assess vaccine safety, immune response and transfer of antibodies to their infants, the National Institutes of Health announced.

In part two in a series of podcasts on rebuilding maternity services at a critical access hospital, officials from the UNC School of Medicine at Chapel Hill and Chatham Hospital UNC Health Care at Siler City, N.C., discuss how a plan was fulfilled to reintroduce safe and sustainable maternity services.

On this podcast AHA offers part two of two podcasts on rebuilding maternity services at a critical access hospital. Cristen Page, M.D., executive dean of UNC School of Medicine and Jeff Strickler, CEO of Chatham Hospital UNC Health Care, Siler City discuss the business case and how the plan was fulfilled to reintroduce safe and sustainable maternity services. You may listen to Part 1 here.

AHA’ explores ways 7 health care organizations are using a digital solution to improve access and delivery of perinatal care.

The National Institutes of Health yesterday reported that a healthy diet from around the time of conception through the second trimester may reduce for women the risk of several common pregnancy complications.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that rates of breastfeeding initiation have increased during the past decade but racial and ethnic disparities in breastfeeding persist.

Hear how Penn Medicine implemented a standardized labor induction protocol, layering AIM’s Peripartum Racial/Ethnic Disparities and Safe Reduction of Primary Cesarean Birth Bundle to improve outcomes for mothers. 

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions today passed, as amended, three AHA-supported bills to improve maternal health and support front-line health care workers. 

AHA express support for bill that would improve maternal health.

AHA Expresses Support for bill that would provide funding and programs to improve maternal health in rural and other areas.

AHA Expresses Support for bill that would provide funding and programs to improve maternal health in rural and other areas.

Women are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and into the first postpartum year than at any other time in their lives, writes Margaret Howard, division director of women's behavioral health at Providence, R.I.-based Women & Infants Hospital and executive director of women’s behavioral health at Care New England.

Women are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and into the first postpartum year than at any other time in their lives, writes Margaret Howard, division director of women's behavioral health at Providence, R.I.-based Women & Infants Hospital and executive director of women’s behavioral health at Care New England. Read about how the Postpartum Depression Day Hospital at WIH provides whole health treatment to pregnant women and new mothers in a safe and nurturing environment.