by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury

With Black Maternal Health Week underway, Virginia is rolling out a new set of tools aimed at tackling one of the most urgent health disparities in the country: the disproportionate rate at which Black women die during pregnancy and childbirth.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday announced the release of two new dashboards — one tracking maternal mortality and the other pregnancy-associated deaths — alongside an upgraded Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Dashboard that breaks down preterm birth, infant mortality, low birthweight and prenatal care data by region, race, and ethnicity.

“More moms are alive today because of the unprecedented work of the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, health care providers and community partners,” Youngkin said in a statement. 

“Today’s launch is another key step to provide the data needed for this all-hands-on-deck mission. We are making significant strides, but we will not stop working until every baby in Virginia is born to a healthy mom.”

Preliminary numbers from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) show encouraging signs: maternal mortality in 2023 and 2024 was half what it was during the height of the crisis in 2021, when 47 deaths were reported among more than 95,000 births.

But state officials and advocates say there is still a long way to go, especially for Black mothers, who face significantly higher risks of complications and death during pregnancy.

“Pregnancy and new motherhood should be a sacred time in the life of a mom and her baby. Last year, for more than 20 women and their families, it was a time of tragedy and loss,” said Virginia Health Secretary Janet Kelly. “With accurate, actionable data we can help providers all across the commonwealth do more to support healthy babies and healthy mothers and prevent these tragedies in the future.”

The dashboard upgrades are part of Executive Directive Eleven, signed by Youngkin in December, which directs state agencies to improve maternal health outcomes through better data, expanded access to quality care and increased public awareness. That order built on Executive Order 32, which revived Virginia’s Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures last summer.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton, an OB-GYN, said many maternal deaths are linked to conditions like mental health challenges, cardiac issues, and chronic disease — areas where early intervention can save lives.

“For too many women, mental health, cardiac disease and other chronic diseases create difficulties during pregnancy that can lead to death,” Shelton said. “As an OB-GYN, I am grateful for the collaborative effort that has already saved lives and believe the new Maternal and Child Health dashboards will improve transparency, ensure data-driven decision-making and help us achieve even better results in the years ahead.”

The new dashboards are being released during Black Maternal Health Week, a nationwide campaign founded by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to raise awareness and push for systemic changes to improve maternal outcomes for Black women. 

In Virginia and across the country, lawmakers are using the week to call for stronger protections and better access to care for communities disproportionately impacted by maternal mortality.

Virginia’s updated dashboards allow users to filter by year, region, race/ethnicity, and locality, providing a granular look at key indicators like maternal smoking rates, prenatal care access and birth outcomes. 

The dashboards were developed through collaboration between the VDH Office of Family Health Services, the Division of Population Health Data, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Office of Information Management.

Though Virginia’s overall maternal and infant health stats track closely with national averages, state officials say the goal is to close the persistent racial and geographic gaps that leave some mothers more vulnerable than others.

“Healthy moms mean healthy babies,” Youngkin said. “And healthy babies are the foundation of a strong and thriving Virginia.”

(Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.)