WHEREAS, the number of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States, which equals the number of women who die during pregnancy or within 1 year after childbirth from any cause that is related to, or aggravated by, the pregnancy, has continued to rise, despite recent advances in medical science and technology; and
WHEREAS, in 1986, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented a Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System to obtain information about the frequency and causes of pregnancy-related death in the United States; and
WHEREAS, in 2017, there were approximately 17.3 pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births in the United States; and in Delaware, pregnancy-related deaths for calendar years 2015-2019 were 13 deaths per 100,000 live births; and
WHEREAS, the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System indicates that the rate of pregnancy-related deaths varies by race, ethnicity, and age, with the highest mortality rate being evidenced among Black women, which is consistently 3 to 4 times higher than for white women; and
WHEREAS, promising initiatives to reduce pregnancy-related deaths include the Safe Motherhood Initiative, developed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (“ACOG”); the Postpartum Hemorrhage Project, developed by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses; and the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (“AIM”), a national partnership of organizations that is poised to reduce severe maternal morbidity through initiatives that are being implemented in Delaware and other states; and
WHEREAS, on a statewide basis, the Delaware Section of ACOG and the Delaware Quality Perinatal Collaborative have each indicated their full support for these initiatives; and
WHEREAS, the AIM program facilitates multidisciplinary and interagency collaboration between states and hospitals, supports continuous and harmonized data-driven quality improvement processes, and provides evidence-based resources to streamline bundle implementation; and
WHEREAS, data have shown that COVID-19 infection puts pregnant people at increased risk of severe complications and even death; yet, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 22% of pregnant individuals have received one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine; and
WHEREAS, recent data have shown that more than 95% of those who are hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 are those who have remained unvaccinated. Pregnant individuals who have decided to wait until after delivery to be vaccinated may be inadvertently exposing themselves to an increased risk of severe illness or death; and
WHEREAS, ACOG and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine encourage pregnant individuals to get vaccinated without delay because widespread uptake of the vaccines is the best chance to save lives and end this pandemic; and
WHEREAS, in order to improve public and professional awareness of the issues related to maternal health and mortality, and promote the various promising initiatives that are being undertaken to reduce maternal mortality, it is both reasonable and appropriate to establish “Maternal Health Awareness Day” in the State and invite community members and
health care professionals, on that day, to participate in appropriate activities relating to maternal health, safety, and mortality.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 151st General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the General Assembly hereby designates January 23, 2022, as “Maternal Health Awareness Day” in the State of Delaware, in order to raise public and professional awareness about important maternal health, safety, and mortality issues, including racial disparities in women’s health; highlight obstetrical pathways that promote maternal safety; educate the citizens of Delaware about promising maternal health initiatives, and encourage the development of new programs and initiatives that are designed to proactively address issues of maternal health and mortality.
