Shapiro shares plans for increasing maternal health funding

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WKBN) – In Pennsylvania alone, there are 82 pregnancy-associated deaths per 100,000 live births. The Shapiro administration wants to change those numbers.

“These are not simply just statistics. These are real people who are loved. Who were loved. These are women who were left back, who left behind families and communities that needed them, and are still grieving from an outcome that is often preventable. We cannot accept the status quo,” said Pennsylvania Second Lady Blayrne Holmes-Davis.

Shapiro wants to increase the budget for maternal morbidity prevention from $2.3 million to $2.7 million in the 2024-2025 budget.

Black women are also two times more likely to die during or in the first year after pregnancy compared to their white counterparts.

Part of the Shapiro administration’s increased funding for this year would tackle that racial disparity in part by finding and eliminating maternity care deserts and working with hospitals and certified midwives and doulas to provide accessible care.

The State Department of Health is also working on finding where there are maternity care deserts, specifically found in very rural areas of the Commonwealth. It is hoping to work with hospitals and certified midwives to help provide accessible care to these communities.

“Collaborating with hospitals that are reducing their labor and delivery services to ensure those women and families affected can receive high-quality care. Midwifery is affordable, accessible, sustainable, and very trusted care,” said Sara Goulet, special advisor to DHS Secretary.

Part of the proposed budget includes launching a new Division of Maternal Health within the Department of Health’s Bureau of Family Health.

“This investment will continue to support the goal of ensuring that every pregnant woman in Pennsylvania receives the comprehensive care necessary for a safe and healthy pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum year,” said Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen.