Pa. officials visit birth center in Bryn Mawr to highlight efforts to improve maternal health
RADNOR — Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen and Secretary of Human Services Dr. Val Arkoosh recently toured Lifecycle WomanCare in Bryn Mawr to meet with representatives from all five of Pennsylvania’s stand-alone birthing centers and to highlight the Shapiro Administration’s work to improve maternal health and care for mothers and children.
In a recorded press conference, Shannon Vinciguerra, executive director at Lifecycle WomanCare, 918 County Line Road, said they also held a roundtable discussion with state officials as part of the tour.
“Today’s roundtable discussion is an opportunity to explore ways to improve the birthing experience and outcomes for individuals in our community and, especially, with a focus on the unique challenges for medical recipients and people of color,” Vinciguerra said. “We are excited to collaborate today with our esteemed guest and leverage our collective experience to further enhance maternal health in Pennsylvania.”
According to a press release issued following their news conference, maternal health is a national concern, with the rate of pregnancy-associated deaths and serious medical conditions during delivery on the rise in recent years.
“In 2020, there were 83 pregnancy-associated deaths per 100,000 live births occurred in Pennsylvania. Complications during labor and delivery are also a concern in Pennsylvania, with 89 hospitalizations per 10,000 deliveries taking place between 2016 and 2022. black women are nearly two times more likely to die or experience unexpected complications during pregnancy or in the first year after pregnancy, or have a serious health condition during delivery,” according to their press release.
During the press conference, Bogen said that in his first year in office, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Act 5 into law, ensuring improved access to information or data on maternal health and maternal mortality.
“As a practicing pediatrician, I saw the interconnectedness of maternal, child, and family health and wellness every day. Every death of a new mother impacts their entire community, and this continues to disproportionately impact black mothers in Pennsylvania and across the country,” Bogen said. “We must do everything we can to ensure that pregnancy and postpartum are as safe and healthy as possible for all women and their families; that’s why the Shapiro-Davis administration is committed to tackling maternal health issues and investing in solutions to help women across the commonwealth.”
According to information provided after the press conference, the state Department of Health uses current funding to support organizations and local coalitions implementing Maternal Mortality Review Committee recommendations, focusing on better coordination of physical and behavioral health care and social services.
The DOH aims to support programs that specifically address black maternal health so that investments are made to eliminate the disparities in maternal health outcomes.
They also cited the 2023-24 budget, crediting Shapiro with securing $2.3 million to implement recommendations for preventing maternal mortality. The 2024-25 proposed budget provides an additional $2.6 million to address and prevent maternal mortality, especially among black mothers.
That budget will be the topic of talks between Republicans and Democrats during June.
The DOH accepted applications through April for $1.8 million in grants for community-based organizations to develop and lead regional coalitions to select and implement recommendations from the 2024 Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee report to improve maternal health locally.
“As an obstetric anesthesiologist, I’ve seen first-hand the necessity of holistic care and support networks that help mothers and their newborns through this consequential time. The Shapiro-Davis administration is committed to working with maternal health providers, advocates, and people with lived experience to help ease barriers to care, so all Pennsylvanians can get the care they need,” Arkoosh said. “This is how we shift the unacceptable trends in maternal morbidity and mortality to save lives and give mothers and their newborns the support and optimistic future they deserve.”
Additional maternal health achievements include launching the new Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Division of Maternal Health, which supports the administration of the Maternal Mortality committee.
In October, Shapiro signed state Sen. Judy Schwank’s Senate Bill 262 into law that is designed to give improved access to timely data on maternal health and maternal mortality in Pennsylvania, allowing researchers, doctors, and policymakers to make more informed decisions about medical care for moms and families.
That bill amended the Maternal Mortality Review Act to require the health department to annually publish severe maternal morbidity data using hospital discharge data obtained from the PA Health Care Cost Containment Council to protect women’s health and deliver more transparency into the causes of maternal mortality, especially among black mothers.
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