Together, we can combat Michigan’s maternal health crisis
In the time it takes to brew your morning coffee — every two minutes — a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth worldwide.
The SOS MATERNITY Network and its collaborators call on Michigan’s health care providers, community advocates and patient populations to join forces in combatting the maternal health crisis.
The latest data indicates that Michigan’s infant mortality rate exceeds the national rate of 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, and the situation is even more dire for Black infants in our state. According to the 2024 March of Dimes Report Card for Michigan, the infant mortality rate among these infants is more than double the national average.
While we take pride in the medical advancements achieved over decades, it is disheartening and unacceptable that both the United States and Michigan continue to face alarmingly high rates of maternal and infant mortality compared to most developed countries.
Recognizing that this crisis cannot be tackled alone, 14 leading universities and health care systems across Michigan have established SOS MATERNITY, a first-of-its-kind network seeking to end preventable causes of death in mothers and children. This initiative is a critical step toward unifying our efforts to save lives. We are creating a robust framework for improving maternal and infant health outcomes by implementing best practices, providing transportation and employing navigators to support patients’ care needs throughout pregnancy.
Collaborating since May 2020, first as the Southern Michigan Regional COVID-19 Collaborative, Michigan’s leading doctors worked together and developed a standard protocol to implement evidence-based medical interventions alongside bundled network initiatives to promote the well-being of the state’s growing families.
These are not just statistics. Each fatality devastates families across our community: the Michigan Maternal Mortality Surveillance Program reports that almost three-quarters of the state’s reviewed pregnancy-related deaths were preventable.
To fight against this crisis, SOS MATERNITY’s network of universities and health care systems will provide the highest standard of care through six steps:
Bundling the latest tests and treatments and making them available at all SOS sites; Providing transportation to doctors’ appointments and medical care; Standardizing comprehensive screening for all patients; Assuring the most advanced treatments are available to all patients at all SOS sites; Issuing financial assistance to pregnant moms for attending milestone doctor visits, and offering a patient navigator to help guide each patient through pregnancy and connect them to needed resources.
By doing this, we can create a continuum of care that ensures every mother and baby receives the attention and resources they deserve. Our historic statistics on infant and maternal deaths are stark, but they do not have to remain our future. We must rally together to support maternal and infant health in Michigan. We know how to flip the script to make certain that all pregnant moms receive the support and care they need for the healthiest possible perinatal period.
The health of our mothers and babies reflects our society’s values. Next time you brew your morning coffee, remember that Michigan must act with urgency, compassion and determination to combat the maternal health crisis.
It’s time to make a difference, together.
Sonia Hassan, M.D., leads the Coordinating Center of the state-wide SOS MATERNITY Network, serves as associate vice president and professor at Wayne State University and is founding director of WSU’s Office of Women’s Health.
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