RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia General Assembly has passed legislation creating a maternal mortality review team within the Virginia Department of Health.
House Bill 2546 will require the Department of Health to review the rate of pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related deaths in the Commonwealth.
The bill will also help identify risk factors of pregnancy-associated or pregnancy-related deaths, identify other factors contributing to pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related deaths, and develop recommendations for prevention and intervention programs to reduce the rate of pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related deaths in the Commonwealth.
“There is nothing more precious than a mother bringing a newborn child into this world” said Speaker Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights). “Sadly, too many mothers are dying from preventable childbirth complications and many more suffering severe injuries during childbirth. This legislation will strengthen our healthcare system and protect mothers.”
Mothers are dying from childbirth, and the statistics are alarming, especially for black women. According to the Centers for Disease Control, black moms are three to four times more at risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes.
For every 13 white women who die during pregnancy or within one year of giving birth, there are 44 black women. Most of these deaths are preventable.
The legislation will also require certain health care providers, law enforcement officers, funeral directors, or other persons having knowledge of pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related deaths to report such deaths.
“This legislation specifically requires the review team to report this data, which will lead to improved best practices, better and more uniform standards of care,” said Delegate Roxann Robinson (R - Chesterfield). “Above all, this will go a long ways to reducing our maternal mortality rate.”