releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=39DE7CAF-49BA-441F-81ED-803611E6D665
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=39DE7CAF-49BA-441F-81ED-803611E6D665 | Heitkamp Addresses Maternal Health Issues with Health Care Providers & New Mothers in Grand Forks, Outlines Her Bipartisan Bill to Help Lower U.S. Maternal Mortality Rates | 2018-09-21 | 2018 | 2018-09 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | This Week, Heitkamp Secured $12 Million for Efforts to Reduce Maternal Mortality, $38 Million for Maternal Health Programs in Rural & Tribal Areas GRAND FORKS, N.D. U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today convened health care providers, families, and maternal health advocates in Grand Forks to examine the causes of rising nationwide maternal mortality rates and to discuss ideas, like a bill she introduced, to better support the health and well-being of mothers and newborn children across North Dakota. More women in the United States die from pregnancy-related complications than in most other developed nationsand the number of maternal deaths is rising. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pregnancy-related deaths in the United States increased by 250 percent from 1987-2014. And to highlight the urgent need to tackle this problem, another study found that 60 percent of the nation's maternal deaths could have been prevented with proper care. During the roundtable discussion, Heitkamp outlined her bipartisan bill to help combat the ongoing maternal mortality crisis in the United States, which passed out of a key Senate committee in June 2018. Her legislation would strengthen on-the-ground resources by expanding maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs) that identifying contributing factors to maternal deaths and offer recommendations to improve outcomes for expecting mothers. MMRCs currently do not exist in 15 states, including North Dakota. Earlier this week, Heitkamphelped pass a bipartisan funding bill that includes $50 million in funding to be used for a new initiative aimed at reducing maternal mortalitywhich Heitkamp successfully pushed for. The bill also includes $12 million for expanded data collection at State Maternal Mortality review boards and $38 million to expand evidence-based programs to advance maternal health equity in rural, tribal, and historically underserved areas. No mother in the United States should have to worry about dying due to pregnancy complications, and it's absolutely shameful that we're seeing a growing number of maternal deaths in this country, said Heitkamp. We need to figure out what's going on and that requires collecting data to identify the factors that are causing young mothers to experience life-threatening health issues. Congress has delayed action on this life-and-death issue for far too long, and my bipartisan bill would help facilitate stronger, safer, and healthier pregnancies by investing in cutting-edge research, beefing up information sharing, and giving physicians and providers the tools they need to improve the patient experience. The funds I secured earlier this week were a needed and important step, and I'll keep working to get our bill across the finish line, so we can prevent these heartbreaking tragedies and protect the next generation of mothers and infants. During the roundtable discussion, Heitkamp heard from several mothers who have experienced complications either during pregnancy or after the birth of their children. My first pregnancy was picture-perfect until I went in for my final prenatal checkup. That's when we first started having real concerns about preeclampsia, said Kelly Berntsen, Grand Forks. Right before giving birth, I experienced severe bleeding, was on the verge of seizures, and had to undergo an emergency C-section. Thankfully, my son was born healthy, but the entire experience left me terrified and caused me to suffer from postpartum depression. As I began my second pregnancy, I begged my doctor not to let the same thing happen to me again. In the future, I hope fewer mothers will have to face life-threatening pregnancy complications and cope with their crippling after-effects. I greatly appreciate that Senator Heitkamp is sitting down with young families in North Dakota to hear our stories and to talk about ways to support maternal health through increased research, better access to high-quality health care, and improved awareness. We don't have to accept conditions like preeclampsia as everyday occurrences in our modern health care system, and I know Senator Heitkamp sees this issue as an urgent priority for moms like me across the country. After my first baby, I was diagnosed with heart failure. And one week after my second child was born, I had a heart attack, said Suzanne Nelson, mother, Grand Forks. Thankfully, the nurse practitioner I saw the afternoon before my heart attack made sure that the on-call OB doctors were aware of my history so I was quickly admitted. But my situation could have taken a turn for the worse, and the health care costs of my first pregnancy certainly dealt our family a major financial blow. While my nurse practitioner and OB took the signs and symptoms seriously, not every doctor did and it shows why new research and best practices are so important to develop if we're going to tackle the crisis of maternal mortality. Senator Heitkamp's event today is a terrific opportunity to discuss this issue, and I'm sharing my own story to save more lives in the future. The caring health care professionals who took care of me saved my life by taking my concerns seriously, and we need to give the same level of attention to all North Dakota mothers with pregnancy complications. By strengthening support for existing MMRCs and helping states like North Dakota create MMRCs, Heitkamp's Maternal Health Accountability Act would compile data on maternal deaths caused by complications like hemorrhages, infections, and preeclampsia. Composed of experts and health care professionals from the fields of maternal, neonatal, and public health, MMRCs offer solutions to help expecting mothers access critical health care resources like rural hospital facilities, so they can experience healthier pregnancies. It's time to empower women to have stronger voices and more choices when it comes to maternal health care, said Dr. Maridee Shogren, Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing and Certified Nurse-Midwife in clinical practice at Valley Community Health Centers. Pregnancy is an incredibly important part of a woman's life, and we need to better educate women about preconception planning, early access to prenatal care, and postpartum risk factors. As health care providers, one of our top priorities should be to dedicate more time during routine prenatal appointments to discussing the risk factors a patient may have. Senator Heitkamp's bill supports the need for experts, obstetric providers, and patients to understand why preventable maternal deaths are occurring and createplans toimprove the quality of maternal care,improve maternal health outcomes and reduce pregnancy-associated morbidity and mortality. Heitkamp's legislation is endorsed by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Preeclampsia Foundation. Click herefor a full list of the nearly 100 organizations now supporting this bill. Across the country, maternal mortality rates have been particularly dire in rural America and minority communities. For example, a recent study showed that American Indian and Alaska Native mothers in certain states were more than 4.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes than non-Hispanic, white mothers. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |