U.S. Maternal Deaths Rise as Health Disparities Increase; Local Resources Offer Support

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has revealed significant increases in pregnancy-related deaths across the United States, with disproportionate losses among Black, Native American, and Alaska Native people.

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Entitled, “Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States,” the study analyzed state-by-state census data from 1999 to 2019 on pregnant or recently pregnant individuals aged 10 to 54 years, to provide comprehensive evidence on maternal morbidity and to guide policies aimed at preventing maternal deaths.

Key Findings

Results revealed a stark spike in maternal mortality rates, with pregnancy-related deaths more than doubling among all racial and ethnic groups across the U.S. over the last 20 years, and more than tripling for Native American and Alaska Native people. However, maternal mortality remains the highest among the nation’s Black population, continuing historic trends.

Unfortunately, worsening healthcare for Black and BIPOC mothers—a trend typically relegated to southern states—is expanding. According to the study, New York and New Jersey saw an increase in Black and Latina deaths, while more Asian mothers died in Wyoming and Montana.

Supporting Information

In interviews with study authors and other medical professionals, WESA, an NPR affiliate, revealed the uniqueness of this upward trend, noting that other high-income countries have seen their maternal morbidity rates decline as a result of increasingly accessible healthcare.

Consequently, state review committees consider most maternal deaths preventable, as most deaths appear linked to untreated health conditions and complications. Thus, WESA sites researchers advocating for improved access to care, which Medicaid may allow, as the program pays for about half of U.S. births.

Local Maternal Health Resources

Local programs and services may help new and expecting mothers in the Greater Pittsburgh Area and Pennsylvania. Some of these resources include:

• 211 Pennsylvania Prenatal Care Services

• AHN Pregnancy and Newborn Services

• Allegheny County Office of Family and Child Health

• Catholic Charities Roselia Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services

• HealthCare.gov: Health Coverage If You’re Pregnant, Plan to Get Pregnant, or Recently Gave Birth

• ​Healthy Beginnings Plus

• Healthy Start Pittsburgh

• Hello Baby: Home Visiting

• Medical Assistance for Children and Pregnant Women

• The Midwife Center for Birth & Women’s Health

• UPMC Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine

Learn More

Find the status of local maternal health and learn about the state maternal morbidity review committee on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website.

To learn more, read the NPR and WESA article, “U.S. maternal deaths keep rising. Here’s who is most at risk.”