A mission for maternal well-being in Indiana

Maternal health serves as a cornerstone of public health, reflecting not only the well-being of individual mothers and their babies, but the health and strength of Hoosier communities as a whole. According to the Indiana University Public Policy Institute’s Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy, Indiana has the third highest maternal mortality rate among all reporting states. As a gynecologist and obstetrician who has cared for Hoosier women my entire medical career, that is a hard statistic for me to read and one I am committed to changing. Prioritizing maternal health is essential in promoting health equity. Often, women from marginalized communities face disproportionate barriers to accessing maternal health care services. This can lead to poor health outcomes for themselves and their babies and, at worse, cost them their lives. The Indiana Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) found that in 2020, 92 women in our state died from pregnancy-associated deaths during pregnancy or within one year of it. The MMRC’s findings also showed that Black women experienced the highest ratio of pregnancy-related deaths at 128.8 pregnancy-associated deaths per 100,000 live births. Importantly, the MMRC determined 79% of the reviewed pregnancy-associated deaths in 2020 were preventable. Common causes of...