Congress urged to pass Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act

The AHA yesterday joined 85 national organizations in urging Congress to swiftly pass the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act (H.R.3838/S.2415), bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize federal support for state-based maternal mortality review committees, which review pregnancy-related deaths to identify causes and make recommendations to prevent future mortalities. Passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week, the bill also would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work with the Health Resources and Services Administration to disseminate best practices to prevent maternal mortality to hospitals and other health care providers. 
 
“It is critical that Congress does everything in its power to address the maternal mortality crisis and work towards solutions to prevent future, unnecessary deaths,” the organizations said in a letter to House and Senate leaders.