Health care collaborative launches network to promote healthier pregnancies in Michigan

Leaders from across Michigan have united through the SOS MATERNITY Network to address maternal and internal mortality in Michigan.

As Michigan faces alarming maternal and infant mortality rates, a health care collaborative led by Wayne State University's Office of Women's Health on Oct. 28 formally launched the SOS MATERNITY Network, which seeks to end preventable causes of death in mothers and children. The State of Michigan has allocated $11 million to fund the first-of-its-kind network, which includes 14 leading maternal-fetal medicine universities and health care systems from across the state.

Every two minutes, a woman somewhere in the world dies of pregnancy or childbirth. The latest statistics indicate that the infant mortality rate in Michigan is higher than the national rate of 5.6%.

"The SOS MATERNITY Network has created a statewide network of Michigan's finest universities and health care systems to declare war on our terrible rates of maternal and infant mortality," said Sonia Hassan, M.D., associate vice president and founder of WSU's Office of Women's Health and leader of SOS MATERNITY. "Through this initiative, we seek to standardize best practices across Michigan physicians, increase access of pregnant moms to prenatal care and create systems of support for pregnant moms to have the healthiest pregnancy possible."

Fortunately, there are simple measures that can be taken to reduce fatalities by more than 40%, including cervical length screening and a daily regimen of low-dose aspirin. The network will focus on getting these measures to every patient in Michigan.

To educate expectant mothers throughout the state on these easy steps promoting healthier pregnancies, leaders from the State of Michigan, the major health systems and universities - including Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy, Wayne State University's president, and Danielle Atkinson, a WSU board member and founding director of Mothering Justice - gathered for a conversation at Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit focusing on treatments and interventions to reduce pre-term birth and pre-eclampsia among Michigan's vulnerable populations.

"At Wayne State, we are committed to empowering health in our communities, the second pillar in our Prosperity Agenda," said President Espy. "We know that disparities in the medical treatment of the most vulnerable women and babies in Michigan have resulted in tragic outcomes. The maternity network's collaborative approach advances the uniform application of evidence-based treatments that have been demonstrated to work. That's why the real-world impact of the network is so profound."

At the event, SOS MATERNITY also provided information about its partnership with Lyft to ensure pregnant women have access to free rides to and from appointments.

"Maternal and infant mortality go hand in hand, and reducing these rates requires a multifaceted approach. It's not enough to just know their causes and solutions; it's about programming, prevention, education and access," Dr. Hassan emphasized. "Our population says their number one barrier to receiving care is physically getting to their appointments. So that's what we do: We get them there. We also provide them with resources, medication, vitamins, home health care, education and more."

Institutions in the SOS Maternity Network are responsible for more than 50,000 deliveries every year in Michigan.

Visit the Office of Women's Health website to see a full list of partners and learn more about the SOS MATERNITY Network.

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