HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 3

DESIGNATING JANUARY 23, 2023, AS "MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, the United States continues to experience a growing maternal health crisis; and

WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 700 women die each year from conditions related to pregnancy, which is one of the highest in industrialized countries; and

WHEREAS, in Delaware, from 2015 to 2019, there was a pregnancy-related death rate of 10 in 54,908; and

WHEREAS, the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) of Delaware has reported that mental health and substance use disorders continue to be significant factors in the maternal mortality rate in Delaware; and

WHEREAS, nationally, another 50,000 women experience severe pregnancy-related complications, including depression and substance use disorder, which may affect their health for the rest of their lives; and

WHEREAS, maternal morbidity and mortality disproportionately affect black and brown women due to systemic racism and implicit bias, which has resulted in such health disparities; and

WHEREAS, the MMRC and the Delaware Perinatal Quality Collaborative strive to initiate and support programs which decrease overall maternal mortality and morbidity, implicit bias, and maternal health disparities; and

WHEREAS, the effects of mental health illness do not just affect patients but also providers; and

WHEREAS, provider burnout is considered a public health crisis, with the rate of burnout as high as 50% for physicians and non-physician practitioners; and

WHEREAS, the risk of physician suicide is 1.5 times greater than the general population; and

WHEREAS, there continues to be a pressing need for awareness, funding, access, and resources for patients and providers alike regarding mental health wellness and treatment.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 152nd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that the General Assembly hereby designates January 23, 2023, as “Maternal Health Awareness Day” in the State of Delaware, in order to continue to raise public and professional awareness about important health trends that affect maternal morbidity and mortality and initiatives and programs that promote maternal safety and decrease health disparities; to actively engage both community and state stakeholders to seek solutions that improve maternal mental health wellness, and to address the multi-factorial causes of burnout for physicians and non-physicians, including the workforce crisis, which has contributed to the distress and emotional fatigue of the practice of medicine and the public health crisis of provider burnout.

SYNOPSIS

This House Concurrent Resolution designates January 23, 2023, as "Maternal Health Awareness Day" in the State of Delaware.