You may at this point know of the United State’s poor track record in preventing maternal death. For example, last year the CDC, after analyzing data over a seven year period, concluded that on average, 700 women die per year in the US from childbirth complications. An appalling sixty percent were preventable. And women of color are two to three times more likely to die during or immediately after childbirth than white women. In recognition of these troubling statistics, the US Surgeon General has recently launched a Call to Action to address maternal health.

The Call to Action is itself part of a broad effort from the department of Health and Human Services to improve maternal health. The HHS’s Action Plan and Call to Action detail many of the problems and variations in quality of care and maternal health outcomes across the country and across racial groups, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds. For their parts, each details many of the possible ways to improve maternal health. The Call to Action details seven steps that health care professionals can make:

1. Ensure quality preventative healthcare for all women, children, and families;
2. Address disparities such as racial, socioeconomic, geographic, and age, and provide culturally appropriate care in clinical practices;
3. Help patients to manage chronic conditions;
4. Communicate with women and their families about pregnancy;
5. Facilitate timely recognition and intervention of early warning signs during and up to one year after pregnancy;
6. Improve healthcare services during the postpartum period and beyond;
7. Participate in quality improvement and safety initiatives to improve care.

The Call to Action likewise details steps for health care systems and health insurance to further improve outcomes.

The HHS’s Action Plan’s goals are, among other things, to reduce maternal mortality by 50% and reduce low-risk cesarean delivery by 25% in five years.

In order to achieve these goals, the HHS proposes expanding programs to support development of evidence based practices and to expand maternal mortality review committees in each state.

With buy in from all of the relevant entities, and effectuating the conclusions and recommendations from these plans and mortality review committees – no small feat – perhaps less women will needlessly die at what should be their most joyful moments.