MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Alabama Department of Public Health is launching a campaign to target pregnancy related deaths in the state, rates of which remain among the highest in the nation.
“Tragically, deaths among pregnant and postpartum women continue to occur each year in Alabama, many of which are preventable,” State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris told Alabama Daily News this week.
“The Alabama Department of Public Health is actively promoting the campaign to foster open communication between women and their health care providers, ensuring that critical warning signs are not missed.”
Dubbed the Hear Her Campaign, the effort aims to increase awareness of pregnancy related complications and their warning signs, and to provide resources for women experiencing said complications.
“Right now that is the focus, basically just getting the word out about the campaign,” ADPH spokesperson Lindsey Harris told ADN. “Maybe (soon we will pursue) the opportunity to present the resources in a handheld form in some way.”
Per the latest data on maternal mortality in Alabama, there were 93 pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths between 2018 and 2019, giving the state a maternal mortality rate for this period of 29.9 maternal deaths per 100,000 births, far above the national rate of 18.2 per 100,000.
Like most health metrics in the state, a significant racial disparity also exists for maternal mortality in Alabama. Between 2017 and 2018, the Black maternal mortality rate was 49.6 per 100,000, well over double that of the white maternal mortality rate of roughly 20 per 100,000.
The ADPH will promote the campaign on social media, which includes promotional material produced by the CDC, and direct Alabamians to resources that detail warning signs for Alabama mothers experiencing specific symptoms either during or after pregnancy. Common symptoms for mothers that demand immediate medical attention, the ADPH says, include swelling of the hands or face, overwhelming tiredness and more.
Many of the maternal deaths in the state are preventable, too, the ADPH finds. Per the ADPH report on 2018-2019 maternal mortality data, of the 93 reported deaths, 24 were directly related to pregnancy, and of those 24, 62.5% were deemed preventable.
In this period, most reported deaths occurred postpartum, with the leading causes of death being infection, cardiovascular issues and hemorrhage. The majority of maternal deaths also occurred among Medicaid recipients, suggesting poverty to be a strong correlating factor in maternal mortality.
Early intervention, Harris said, would be key to improving the state’s maternal mortality rate, something he said he was hopeful the Hear Her campaign could further encourage.
“Early intervention with pregnant and postpartum women can help prevent severe cardiovascular events, address mental health challenges, and ultimately, safeguard women’s health and well-being,” Harris said.
More long-term solutions suggested by the ADPH to improve the state’s maternal mortality rate include waiving the waiting period for Medicaid recipients requesting a bilateral tubal ligation, which in Alabama requires a 30-day waiting period. Another suggestion from the ADPH is to establish standardized protocols for assessing clinical signs of pregnancy at primary care officers and ER departments.