2018 New York Maternal Mortality Summit

Building on recent momentum in public awareness and policy making, the New York Academy of Medicine hosted a Summit on Maternal Mortality on February 14, 2018.

The Summit was funded by Merck & Co., Inc. to advance the goals of Merck for Mothers, and was a project created by a partnership of The New York Academy of Medicine, the New York State Department of Health, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Healthcare Association of New York State, the Greater New York Hospital Association, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, District II.

The morning keynote speakers were Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, MD, FACOG, Founder and President of the National Birth Equity Collaborative; and Dr. William Callaghan, MD, MPH of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Focus areas for the Summit included:

• Fragmentation in women’s health care
• Maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity case reviews and clinical continuous quality improvement
• The ways in which structural racism contributes to health disparities in maternal mortality
• How to integrate enhanced maternal health advocacy, education, and care coordination into existing community-based (non-clinical) service structures.

Over 450 people attended the day-long event representing an array of health care, advocacy, and public health organizations to discuss recommendations for policy and practice changes to reduce maternal mortality in New York State.

Conference Materials

• Summit Speaker Slides
  • Joia Crear-Perry, MD, FACOG, National Birth Equity Collaborative
    Systems and Policies Driving Black Maternal Health Inequities
  • William Callaghan, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    Maternal Deaths in the United States: Why Is It So Hard to Account for Them?
  • Marilyn A. Kacica, MD, MPH, New York State Department of Health
    New York State Data & Progress
  • Lorraine Boyd, MD, MPH, FAAP, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
    New York City Data & Progress
  • Plenary Panel Slides
• Summit Program
• Summit Proceedings
• Webcast Recording of the Plenary Sessions
• Additional information can be found in the Summit White Paper, Recent and Ongoing Initiatives in New York to Reduce Maternal Mortality

Additional Resources

Additional Events
Maternal Health and Perinatal Safety Symposium
Date: November 1, 2018 7:30am-4:00pm.
Location: Hackensack University Medical Center, 30 Prospect Avenue, Hackensack, New Jersey.
Register here.

Stakeholder Action Forum: Implementing the New York City Standards for Respectful Care at Birth
Date: December 11, 2018 from 12:00pm-3:45pm
Location: The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 5th Avenue, NY, NY
Register here.

State of the Problem

• New York State Maternal Mortality Review Report 2012-2013
• New York City Severe Maternal Morbidity Report 2008-2012
• Pregnancy Associated Mortality, New York City, 2006-2010
• Merck for Mothers – New York Maternal Mortality and Morbidity fact sheet
• ProPublica series on Maternal Care and Preventable Deaths

New York initiatives

• ACOG Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI) report
• New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative
• Merck for Mothers – Improving Maternal Health for Women with Chronic Conditions
• Paid Family Leave: A Strategy for Promoting Health and Economic Equity for New York City’s Families (New York City)

National initiatives

• Before, Between & Beyond Pregnancy – Preconception Health + Health Care Initiative
• Merck for Mothers – Program Report
• Merck for Mothers – Making Pregnancy and Childbirth Safer in the U.S.
• Merck for Mothers – Collaborating to Strengthen the Quality of Emergency Obstetric Care in the U.S.
• Review to Action
• National Birth Equity Collaborative

Recommendations for action

• Maternal Mortality in New York: A Call to Action – Findings and Priority Action Steps (2010 Convening)
• Prevention of Maternal Mortality in New York State: Proceedings of the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council’s Public Health Committee Meeting Series and Recommendations for Action
• #Act2SaveMoms Campaign

Resources for patients

• Preeclampsia Foundation
• Preeclampsia Foundation Patient Education Materials
• New York State Association of Licensed Midwives
• New York State's Home Visiting Programs: Support for Pregnant and Parenting Families
• Ancient Song Doula Services
• Black Mamas Matter Alliance

Resources for health care providers

• ACOG Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI) app
• ACOG SMI Overviews
• Sexual and Reproductive Justice (SRJ)
• Paid Family Leave: Information for Health Care Providers about NYS’s New Paid Family Leave Policy (in effect as of January 1, 2018)