Newswise — WASHINGTON (Aug. 29, 2024)-The United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates of any industrialized nation, with maternal death rates especially high for Black women. To find out why, researchers and doctors are looking to Europe for answers.
According to a story by the AP, increasing access to basic healthcare such as prenatal checkups is one solution for the US. To do that, researchers say the US needs to increase the availability of both OB-GYNs and midwives.
Other ways to make childbirth safer in the US, include reducing the high number of cesarean sections and improving paid maternity leave, which has been linked to better postpartum health.
The George Washington University has experts available to talk about the US maternal mortality rates and solutions. To interview an expert, please contact Kathy Fackelmann, [email protected] or Katelyn Deckelbaum, [email protected].
Julia Strasser, is the Executive Director of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health and an assistant research professor of health policy and management at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is an expert on reproductive health care, including maternal mortality. \
Amita N. Vyas, is an associate professor at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health and Director of the GW Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health.
Suzan Ulrich is the director of midwifery education at the GW School of Nursing.
Tarnisha Hemphill is an assistant professor of nursing at GW. Her area of expertise is promoting diversity and equity in health care and improving prenatal care access to underserved populations with health disparities.
Linda Cassar, clinical associate professor at the GW School of Nursing, has worked primarily with the maternal/child health patient population over her 30 years as a nurse, working in labor and delivery, mother/baby, high-risk antepartum, and outpatient community perinatal education.
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