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The U.S. has the worst maternal mortality rate of any wealthy country — and it's the only one where the rate has more than doubled in the last 40 years. Black women die at nearly three times the rate of white women. Most of these deaths are preventable.
Maternal mortality varies by more than 4× across U.S. states. Tap or hover any state for its rate, the U.S. comparison, and the country with the closest national rate.
The same gaps in care that kill almost 900 U.S. mothers a year also drive 41,000 stillbirths and infant deaths, 60,000 near-fatal complications, 430,000 babies needing intensive medical care, 720,000 mothers in mental-health crisis, and 1.2 million mothers left with lasting physical effects. The harm runs much deeper than the deaths.
Today, there are life-threatening gaps in care — before, during, and after pregnancy. We're closing these gaps by uniting leaders and families around a state-led playbook to scale proven solutions across the country.
These deaths come from a wide range of conditions — no single dominant cause. The common thread is that the vast majority are preventable per CDC Maternal Mortality Review Committees.
Research, partnerships, and policy work from across the Heartland — building the case and the coalition to cut U.S. maternal mortality in half.
A nationwide poll commissioned by Heartland Forward shows broad bipartisan support for expanding maternal health investment.
Read more ↗Across the country, mothers are dying at rates that would have shocked our grandmothers. Nationally, our maternal mortality rate has more than doubled over the past 40 years.
Read more ↗Heartland Forward MCH CPP establishes guidelines and provides an actionable framework to cut U.S. maternal mortality in half — to be achieved through policy reform, workforce development initiatives and proven changes to care delivery.
Read more ↗Cara Osborne discusses Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies and the plan to cut U.S. maternal mortality in half within five years, highlighting both the economic impact of poor maternal health outcomes on local economies.
Read more ↗Olivia Walton, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders unveil a bipartisan five-year campaign to halve U.S. maternal mortality.
Read more ↗Axios Northwest Arkansas reports on a bipartisan panel spotlighting state-level maternal health needs alongside the launch of the national campaign.
Read more ↗Built to mobilize policymakers, business leaders, health care providers, and Americans who care. We can make the United States the safest country in the world to give birth. No politics. No finger-pointing. Just action.
By aligning policy design with employer incentives and community infrastructure, policymakers can advance a model that strengthens families, supports businesses and promotes long-term economic stability
Maternal health shapes your workforce, your healthcare spend, and the communities you operate in. We translate the data into business cases and partnerships that move investment where it matters most.
By shifting from siloed OB-GYN care to a broader suite of maternal health providers, prenatal services become more accessible, with extended insurance coverage, and aligned with women’s needs throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
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