White House Hosts First-Ever Maternal Health Day of Action

By Shalini Wickramatilake, MHS

On December 7th, Vice President Kamala Harris hosted the first-ever White House Maternal Health Day of Action. The Day of Action included a Summit that was composed of three panels, as well as a Call to Action, outlining steps the federal government will take to improve maternal health outcomes.

Summit speakers and topics included:

• Opening remarks by Vice President Harris, Secretary of HHS, Xavier Becerra, and CMS Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure

  • Vice President Harris noted, “...let us all say unequivocally, maternal mortality and morbidity is a serious crisis, and one that endangers both public health and economic growth, which means everyone is impacted by it. Because just think about it: mothers are the backbone of our economy, and their children are the future of our economy.”

• Panel on the Build Back Better Act: Reps. Underwood (D-IL), Adams (D-N.C.), and Kelly (D-IL) spoke about the Black Maternal Health Momnibus provisions that are included in the House-passed Build Back Better Act.

  • Additionally, during this panel, Dr. Ann Newman, a board-certified specialist in psychiatric nursing, spoke about supporting those with maternal mental health disorders (MMHDs). She emphasized the importance of universal screening for MMHDs, and noted that untreated MMHDs can have a negative impact on the wellbeing of children.

• Dialogue with Olympic track and field star Allyson Felix about her childbirth experience and her ongoing advocacy for advancing maternal health.

• Panel on Men and Maternal Health: Alexis Ohanian, Charles Johnson and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) discussed their personal experience with childbirth and the maternal health advocacy they have undertaken as a result.

• Panel on Combating Systemic Challenges in Maternal Health: Panelists discussed specific challenges that Black, Indigenous, rural moms, and other communities face attempting to receive maternal health care.

• Closing Remarks: Ambassador Susan Rice, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council, reviewed the highlights of the Summit and reiterated the importance of supporting moms—especially Black moms and other moms of color—during and after pregnancy.

As part of the Call to Action, HHS is taking the following steps:

• CMS released new guidance to states on how to provide 12 months of continuous postpartum coverage through their Medicaid programs. Currently, states are only required to provide coverage for 60 days postpartum, despite research showing that most deaths--including maternal suicides and overdoses--occur more than 60 days following delivery.

• HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is releasing a new report showing the impact of State Medicaid coverage extensions to 12 months postpartum. If every state extended Medicaid coverage through the first year postpartum, an additional 720,000 moms would get coverage.

• CMS is expected to establish a “Birthing-Friendly” hospital designation, which would be the first-ever hospital quality designation by HHS specifically focused on maternity care. This designation would identify hospitals that provide perinatal care, are participating in a maternity care quality improvement collaborative, and have implemented recommended patient safety practices. CMS would add the designation to their “Care Compare” website to allow consumers to choose hospitals that have implemented best practices.

Mom Congress applauds the Administration for prioritizing maternal health, and encourages ongoing efforts at the Federal, State, and local levels to support moms and families.