Disclaimer: Moving Health Care Upstream is a collaborative effort originally co-led by Nemours Children’s Health and the Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities at the University of California- Los Angeles (UCLA). The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Nemours, UCLA or the Moving Health Care Upstream initiative.
On December 1st, Nemours Children’s Health, March of Dimes (MOD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago hosted the third annual Hot Topics in Neonatology® 2022 Cindy Pellegrini Maternal & Child Health Advocacy Day.
This virtual event honors Cindy Pellegrini, who passed away in 2019, leaving behind a legacy as a tireless advocate for maternal and child health. The event brings together health care professionals and advocates to share their experience and expertise and ask Congress to act on important infant and maternal health policies.
- About 700 mothers die each year from pregnancy-related causes in the United States. According to the CDC, 80% of pregnancy related deaths are preventable.
- Black mothers are 2-3x more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women.
- In 2021, the preterm birth rate rose to 10.5%, an increase of 4% over 2020.
- Each year, more than 13,000 newborn babies are identified with conditions through newborn screening. Without specialized care and treatment, these babies would face long-term disability, or even death.
This year, Nemours Children’s and our partners met with policymakers on Capitol Hill to discuss three important bills: the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, , the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act, and the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act (which is expected to be introduced soon). These bills collectively include critical funding for programs and policies to improve infant and maternal health outcomes, decrease disparities and help prevent pregnancy-related deaths.
To hear directly from our advocates on why this advocacy day is so important, CLICK HERE.
