Maternal Health

We take a life course to supporting women's health. We support women and mothers before, during, and after pregnancy—and beyond.

Challenges in maternal health

Pregnancy-related problems are serious issues in the United States. These problems affect different groups of people in different ways.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, in the United States:

• Pregnancy-related mortality has not improved over the past decade.
• There are racial and ethnic disparities. Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian/Alaska Native women are at least two to four times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as non-Hispanic White women.
• Four out of five pregnancy-related deaths are considered preventable.
• More than 25,000 women experience unintended outcomes of labor and delivery that result in significant short- or long-term health consequences.

How we support these women

We focus on:

• Physical health
• Behavioral health
• Prevention
• Social determinants of health

How we ensure women get the help they need

We fund national, state, and community organizations, and academic institutions. Some examples are:

• Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant
  As our largest program, this partnership helps states build the public health systems for mothers, children, and their families.
• Healthy Start
  These projects tailor services to the needs of their communities. They aim to reduce racial and ethnic differences in rates of infant death and maternal health outcomes.
• Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI)
  This initiative helps to develop national guidance for women’s preventive care.
• The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA
  Our free, confidential, 24/7 Hotline offers emotional support and resources to pregnant and postpartum people and their loved ones.
• The State Maternal Health Innovation program
  These state-level projects work to improve the access and quality of health care for those most in need.

Learn about our priorities

Improving access to services

We:

• Gather data to track and improve health outcomes
• Connect people to the right services at the right time
• Offer programs that support healthy living for parents
• Create national recommendations for preventive health care, like prenatal and postpartum care
• Establish maternal health task forces to support the needs in their states

Promoting fair and just opportunities for optimal health

We: 

• Collect data on factors like race and income to measure disparities
• Focus on locations where maternal mortality rates are higher than the national average
• Provide services that understand and respect different cultures and languages
• Ensure access to quality services

Strengthening the maternal and child health workforce

We train the health workforce to: 

• Find and treat early warning signs of emergencies related to childbirth
• Identify the early signs of physical and behavioral health problems, and promote healthy lifestyles
• Screen for intimate partner violence

Gathering data and tracking progress

We gather program data through: 

• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Performance Indicators and Systems Outcomes (PDF - 137 KB)
• Title V MCH Services Block Grant state annual reporting activities
  • National Outcome Measures
  • National Performance Measures
• Healthy Start Benchmarks (PDF)
• Discretionary Grants Information System (DGIS)

Our investments in maternal health

Community-level

• Healthy Start: Nurturing Health, Preventing Disparities
• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program

Regional and state levels

• Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health
• Creating Health Care Models to Improve Maternal Health
• Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program
• Screening and Treatment for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
• Title V Maternal and Child (MCH) Services Block Grant
• State Maternal Health Innovation Program
• Supporting Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Screening and Intervention Program

National

• National Maternal Mental Health Hotline
• Women’s Preventive Services Initiative
• Maternal and Child Health Policy Innovation Program (MCH PIP)
• Center for Maternal and Child Health Medicaid Partnerships

Research

• Minority Serving Institutions Research Collaborative

Contact us

Email us at wellwomancare@hrsa.gov.