Women in the United States remain at great risk of dying from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Based on 2024 data from the National Vital Statistics System, 649 women died in the United States due to a pregnancy or childbirth-related complication, a decrease from 669 women in 2023 and 817 in 2022. Black women continue to lose their lives at substantially higher rates than White and Hispanic women. The maternal mortality rate for Non-Hispanic Black women was 44.8 per 100,000 live births compared to non-Hispanic White women at 14..2, Hispanic women at 12.1, and Asian women at 18.1 per 100,000 live births.
Mental health conditions account for the greatest number of pregnancy-related deaths, according to a 2023 report by USA Facts. Other health conditions include cardiovascular, hemorrhage, sepsis/infection, embolism, and hypertensive disorders. Race and ethnicity have a direct correlation in pregnancy-related deaths. Non-Hispanic Black women succumb to cardiovascular conditions, while mental health issues are the main cause of pregnancy-related death for non-Hispanic White women. Hemorrhage is the leading cause of death among Asian women. Because this spectrum is so diverse, interventions developed to save the lives of pregnant and postpartum women should focus on the leading causes of death by race and ethnicity, as recommended by the CDC.
Post-delivery is an important time to make sure mom and baby are healthy. Education is vital to successfully reduce and prevent maternal mortality and morbidity. Education empowers Arkansas women, their family members, and their friends to recognize and report potentially life-threatening complications. New mothers should be encouraged to attend scheduled postpartum visits and to seek care when needed.
The Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee (AMMRC), formed in 2020, helps to ensure the collection and accurate interpretation of maternal deaths in Arkansas. The committee performs comprehensive reviews of maternal deaths that occur during pregnancy or within one year of the end of a pregnancy. The AMMRC is tasked with developing clinical recommendations to improve maternal outcomes. AMMRC reports can be found on the Arkansas Department of Health website.
Arkansas is a participating state in the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM), a quality-improvement initiative that supports best practices to make birth safer, improve maternal health outcomes, and save lives. AIM develops multidisciplinary, clinical-condition-specific patient safety bundles to support best practices. AIM develops multi-disciplinary, clinical-condition-specific safety bundles to support best practices.
Arkansas launched its first state Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PQC) in 2023. State PQCs partner with hospitals, providers, patients, public health, and other stakeholders to provide opportunities for education, information, data sharing, and quality improvement support to achieve systems-level change and improve maternal outcomes.
Educational materials regarding post-delivery warning signs are provided by AFMC and Arkansas Medicaid. If you are interested in these materials, please contact
Kamilah's Story
Web Resources
Alliance for Innovation of Maternal Health
https://saferbirth.org/
Arkansas Department of Health Maternal Mortality Review Committee
https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/arkansas-maternal-mortality-review-committee
Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative
https://arqpc.org
Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
http://www.awhonn.org/
https://www.awhonn.org/education/post-birth-warning-signs-education-program/
California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC)
https://www.cmqcc.org/
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Women’s Health Physicians (ACOG)
(ACOG website works best on current web browsers Firefox, Chrome, and Edge)
Maternal Mortality
https://www.acog.org/search#q=maternal%20mortality&sort=relevancy&f:topic=[Maternal%20mortality]
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Association of Mental Health Conditions, Recent Stressful Life Events, and Adverse Childhood Experiences with Postpartum Substance Use — Seven States, 2019–2020 Weekly/April 21, 2023 / 72(16);416–420 http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7216a1
CDC National Center for Health Statistics: Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/hestat113.htm
Hear Her Campaign
https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/index.html
Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System
https://www.cdc.gov/prams/index.htm
Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement (PQI)
https://www.perinatalqi.org/page/PPDischargeEdu
MERCK For Mothers
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Digital Health & Innovation (IDHI) High-Risk Pregnancy Program
Patient Education
https://patientslearn.uams.edu/featured-topics/pregnancy-childbirth/
Post-delivery warning signs interactive video
http://learntelehealth.org/modules/Post%20Delivery%20Warning%20Signs/story_html5.html?lms=1
Provider Education, Programs, and Services
https://idhi.uams.edu/high-risk-pregnancy-program/healthcare-providers/community-outreach-education/
USA Facts
https://usafacts.org/articles/which-states-have-the-highest-maternal-mortality-rates/
Reviewed and Revised April 2026
