WASHINGTON — Maternal mortality rates are decreasing nationwide, but hundreds of women still die each year from pregnancy-related complications.
This comes after the US Centers for Disease Control reported that more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the US are preventable.
That’s why maternal health advocates are urging lawmakers to invest more in research.
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“Mothers, families, lives are at stake,” said Tina Sherman, national director of maternal justice for Moms Rising.
Tina Sherman works with the advocacy group MomsRising. She follows federal efforts to address maternal health issues, such as the IMPROVE initiative. It stands for the Improving the Vision of Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes for All (IMPROVE) Initiative.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched this program in 2019 to find ways to reduce preventable causes of maternal death and improve women’s health before, during, and after pregnancy. .
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“Whether it’s cardiovascular disease, whether it’s bleeding, whether it’s the mother’s mental health issues, we’re digging into the details and what’s needed and what’s needed to address it,” Sherman said. he said.
But lawmakers warn that the NIH IMPROVE initiative lacks a sustainable funding source to continue the effort.
Earlier this year, some Democrats and Republicans in both the House and Senate introduced legislation that would allocate more than $53 million annually for seven years to the program. It would also fund research to examine disparities in maternal health.
Sherman believes this research is important not only at the federal level, but also for local communities.
“In order to collect data, we need to be able to take it back to the community and talk to them about how we are already addressing this problem, because we know it is happening.” said Sherman. “But we’re also implementing evidence-based methods that the data shows are working. We’re really working collaboratively with the community.”
It is unclear when the bill will be voted on, as Congress is not scheduled to return to the Capitol until after Election Day.
“We really need legislators to come back and focus on what we can do to support families,” Sherman said.
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