A need to address the unacceptable rates of maternal death around the world.

Maternal mortality is an important health equity issue in the United States. Maternal deaths are unacceptably high, and non-Hispanic Black women and American Indian/Alaska Native women in the U.S. are at highest risk of pregnancy-related mortality.

Understanding how countries address maternal death, and how those lessons could be used in the U.S.

To address this public health issue, the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA) partnered with NORC to better understand the current state of maternal health initiatives in other countries. On HRSA’s behalf, NORC conducted an in-depth study of key success factors advancing the health outcomes of pregnant women in the United States and countries invited to the 2018 HRSA Maternal Mortality Summit (Brazil, Canada, Finland, India, Rwanda, and the United Kingdom). Specifically, NORC conducted a comprehensive literature review, which led to an article in Annals of Internal Medicine, and site visits to one U.S. state (North Carolina) and one country (United Kingdom) to learn more about promising practices in the field of maternal health.