Harrisburg, Pa (November 29, 2023) – A new law will help improve access to timely data on maternal health and maternal mortality in Pennsylvania in an effort to lead to better outcomes, state Senator Carolyn Comitta said.
Earlier this year, the legislature unanimously passed Senate Bill 262, paving the way for more comprehensive research on maternal mortality by requiring enhanced tracking and data collection by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Signed into law as Act 5 of 2023, it took effect this fall.
“Knowledge is power and this bill provides a new tool we can use to address health inequities, save lives, and better support the wellbeing of all women, mothers, and families in Pennsylvania,” said Comitta, who co-sponsored the legislation and is a member of the Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus.
Nearly one-quarter of Pennsylvania counties do not have full access to maternity care, and almost 200,000 Pennsylvanians in need of maternity care live there, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Furthermore, maternal mortality rates are rising, and the impact is especially pronounced among Black mothers and communities of color. From 2017-2019, the pregnancy-related mortality ratio in the United States was 17.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That ratio was twice as high for African Americas, who experienced 39.9 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Act 5 requires the Department of Health to add severe maternal morbidity data as a reportable event. Through rapid data collection and more detailed information, the goal is to protect women’s health and deliver more transparency and insight into the causes of maternal mortality.
This fall, Governor Josh Shapiro joined maternal health advocates and lawmakers from the Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus and Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus to mark the bill’s passage.
“Across the Commonwealth and throughout the country, rates of maternal mortality are rising, and for Black mothers, that risk is even greater regardless of their income or zip code. Even for the wealthiest Black mothers, their babies are twice as likely to die within the first year. We can’t accept that – and we won’t. To make a real difference for moms and families, we need more data to understand what’s happening here – and how we can help,” Shapiro said.
The new law was met with support from Chester County community organizations, advocates, doctors, and healthcare workers.
“I am pleased that Pennsylvania has joined more than 40 states in passing this bill,” said Joseph Gobern, MD, MBA, FACOG, system chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Main Line Health. “Maternal and infant mortality have reached increasingly crisis levels in our country and disparately impacting black families. The additional resources and information provided will greatly impact the care of mothers and babies across our state. I applaud our legislators and the work of the Black Maternal Health and Women’s Health Caucus.”
“Women in our community, many of whom are Hispanic and African American, are at the highest risk of experiencing poor birth outcomes, being uninsured, and missing key early educational opportunities,” said Milena Lanz. the Executive Director of the Maternal Child and Health Consortium (MCHC). “MCHC’s Healthy Start program … aims to reduce low birth weight babies by providing home-visiting perinatal services for pregnant and/or parenting women with children.”
Kim Andrews, Executive Director of the Fund for Women and Girls of Chester County, said the organization is “thrilled about this significant step forward in maternal health advocacy, especially for Black Mothers who have worse outcomes right here in Chester County. This groundbreaking legislation improves access to collecting and sharing vital maternal health and maternal mortality data for researchers, doctors, and policymakers.”
Recently, the nonprofit organization reported in their Gender and Racial Equity Special Report that African American women in Pennsylvania are 2 ½ times more likely to experience infant death than women of other races.
“The loss of a child or a parent echoes throughout a family and has an ongoing impact on its future. No one should have to experience it and sadly, many of these tragedies are preventable,” Comitta said. “As mother, I was blessed to have had access to quality maternal care, as did my daughter, and we are so grateful for that experience. At the same time, I am painfully aware that too many families don’t have access to those resources during such a critically important time. That needs to change and this law is an important step to change it.”