Maternal mortality is on the rise in the United States – a shocking trend that needs to be addressed. Two women die each day during or related to childbirth and there are 50,000 “near misses” each year – most of which are preventable. There are also staggering health disparities in maternal mortality, primarily for African American and Native American women. African-American women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes than white women. The Senate Health Committee is expected to vote on a bill this month to support state-level efforts around maternal mortality review committees. The Senate bill and a similar one in the House (sponsored by Washington’s Representative Herrera Beutler), would standardize current state reporting efforts and increase the number of states investigating maternal mortality. Washington State’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee released a report last August investigating 16 pregnancy-related deaths between 2014 and 2015. NoHLA’s Communications Director talked about her post-partum hemorrhage experience here.