Kelly McHugh – författare

The United States faces an alarmingly high rate of maternal morbidity and mortality, distinguishing it from other high-income countries that have achieved decreases in these rates in recent years. U.S. maternal morbidity and mortality rates are disproportionate across racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic groups. Statistics on maternal health outcomes reveal that there are challenges to protecting both the lives and future health of birthing people and their children.

Recognizing the urgency of this growing problem, the National Academies Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice convened a 2-day virtual workshop, Advancing Maternal Health Equity and Reducing Maternal Mortality. The workshop examined the current state of maternal health in the United States and explored the factors needed to help communities and health care systems become more effective in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality and improving health outcomes through the fourth trimester. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions of the workshop.

Approximately 7.4 million people in the United States live with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD), defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as "a group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas. These conditions begin during the developmental period, may impact day-to-day functioning, and usually last throughout a person''s lifetime." Individuals with IDD and their caretakers face exceptional barriers to staying healthy and accessing appropriate health services. Among these barriers are difficulty finding care providers that are adequately trained in meeting their specialized needs, unwieldy payment structures, and a lack of coordination between the various systems of care with which patients with IDD may interact (e.g., education, social work, various segments of the health care system).

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a workshop to discuss promising innovations in (1) workforce development, (2) financing and payment, and (3) care coordination; and to share visions for improved systems of care. Participants noted that while many existing approaches could serve as models for improving care, large changes will need to be made in these 3 facets of the care system in order to make them accessible to all IDD patients. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions of the workshop.