Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
ERASE Maternal Mortality in Montana - There are more than 11,000 live births in Montana each year, one of the largest and most rural states in the US. Over half (53.6%) of counties in Montana are considered maternity care deserts, meaning that they do not have a hospital with an obstetric unit, nor access to any obstetric providers. 34 of Montana’s 49 Critical Access Hospitals do not have obstetric units. (Montana Hospital Association, 2023). Unfortunately, every year there are an estimated 5 pregnancy-associated deaths in our state, with a disproportionate number occurring in Tribal and/or rural and frontier communities. The ERASE Maternal Mortality in Montana will allow our state to continue to vital work of the Montana Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) which was established in 2021 to review all pregnancy-associated deaths and provide recommendations for prevention. The purpose of the ERASE Maternal Mortality in Montana project is to increase the overall timeliness, comprehensiveness, and availability of information on maternal mortality in Montana while collaboratively developing and disseminating strategies for the prevention of pregnancy-related deaths and the reduction of disparities in pregnancy-related mortality in our state. The Montana Maternal Mortality Review and Prevention Program, housed in the state health department, will achieve this purpose by maintaining a diverse and representative MMRC in the state, identifying and abstracting data on all pregnancy associated deaths in Montana, ensuring that the MMRC is comprehensively and effectively reviewing all pregnancy related deaths in a timely manner at a minimum of 4 facilitated meetings per year, and reporting all findings and recommendations to the MMRIA and to statewide partners to drive policy change and advance clinical and non-clinical care. The outcomes that this project will achieve are: Short Term Outcomes • Increased timeliness, accuracy, and standardization of information available about pregnancy-related deaths in Montana, including MMRC identified opportunities for prevention. • Increased engagement and cooperation between MMRCs, partners, and communities in Montana to communicate information from data on pregnancy-related deaths. • Increased availability of MMRC recommendations among communities, clinicians, public health practitioners, and decision makers in Montana. Intermediate Term Outcomes • Increased adoption of clinical and non-clinical policies and programs in Montana that reflect the highest standards of care. • Increased implementation of recommendations that reach or consider the needs of populations disproportionately affected by pregnancy-related mortality in Montana.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).