This NOFO supports the South Dakota Department of Health (SDDOH) and the South Dakota Maternal Mortality Review Committee (SD MMRC) to identify and characterize pregnancy-related deaths for prevention. SD MMRC will identify pregnancy-associated deaths; conduct vital records quality assurance; abstract clinical/non-clinical data into a standard data system (Maternal Mortality Review Information Application, 'MMRIA'); conduct informant interviews to inform individual case review; conduct multidisciplinary reviews by a diverse committee; and enter committee decisions into MMRIA.
SD MMRC will increase the timeliness of reviews of deaths during pregnancy and the year after the end of pregnancy, improve the accuracy of maternal death records, increase the availability of recommendations from MMRC death reviews among communities and clinicians, understand the link between substance use, mental health and the most common causes of pregnancy-related deaths in South Dakota, and investigate the intersection between Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and pregnancy associated deaths in South Dakota. Quality assurance processes, in partnership with CDC and the SD Office of Vital Records, will be used for improving data quality, completeness, and timeliness. The SD MMRC will analyze data and share findings to inform prevention strategies that reduce pregnancy-related deaths, with a focus on reducing inequities. With the support of this grant SD DOH will be able to further support maternal mortality prevention efforts by offering more opportunity for partnership with the Title V Maternal Child Health Block Grant, enhancing the level of maternal mortality review through the services of an abstractor, and establish a relationship with the doulas of South Dakota to provide support to the communities that are experiencing severe maternal mortality.