January 25, 2023

Maternal Health Awareness Day 2023

This past was Monday Maternal Health Awareness Day - focusing attention on the two leading causes of maternal deaths identified by maternal mortality review committees and recently reported by the CDC: mental health conditions and cardiac and coronary conditions.

Mental Health Conditions

For the first time, mental health conditions were reported as a leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths among white, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaska Native populations. (PQCNC's clOUDi initiative has added mental health to the current work of 3.0)

Cardiac and Coronary Conditions

Cardiac and coronary conditions, in addition to cardiomyopathy, are major drivers of maternal mortality and are the primary causes of death among Black people. Deaths caused by cardiac and coronary conditions occur mostly during the postpartum period rather than during labor and delivery itself. (PQCNC preparing to roll out a maternal Cardiac Initiative in January of 2024)

What are you doing?

It's not enough to 'know why' - if we truly care about maternal health in our communities we must also act. That's why hospital teams from across the state have joined the clOUDi 3 initiative and are hard at work improving care - is your hospital one of them?

It's not too late to join with the folks below - get started here

Depression May Look Different in Black Women

Variation in depression symptoms could translate to underdiagnosis and missed care

Black women with symptoms of depression more often report sleep disturbances, self-criticism, and irritability than stereotypical symptoms such as depressed mood, according to a new study led by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and Columbia University School of Nursing.

“Based on our findings, it’s possible that health care providers may miss depression symptoms in Black women, resulting in underdiagnosis and undertreatment,” said Nicole Perez, PhD, RN, a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and postdoctoral associate at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and the lead author of the study published in Nursing Research.