Working to Eliminate Preventable Maternal Deaths in Kansas
The Kansas MMRC reviews maternal mortality cases to improve systems of care and increase awareness of factors that contribute to pregnancy-related death.

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Seat Belt Safety During Pregnancy
Alongside the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, we partner with Safe Kids Kansas to promote motor vehicle safety throughout pregnancy.

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Working to Eliminate Preventable Maternal Deaths in Kansas
The Kansas MMRC reviews maternal mortality cases to improve systems of care and increase awareness of factors that contribute to pregnancy-related death.

LEARN MORE
Seat Belt Safety During Pregnancy
Alongside the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, we partner with Safe Kids Kansas to promote motor vehicle safety throughout pregnancy.

LEARN MORE

Read the Severe Maternal Morbidity and Maternal Mortality Executive Summary 2016-2022

About the Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee

In response to rising national and state trends in maternal and pregnancy-associated deaths, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) established the Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) in 2018.

The combined purpose, mission and vision of the Kansas MMRC is to review maternal mortality cases closely to understand all medical and social factors leading to these tragic events. We do this work proudly to help eliminate all preventable maternal deaths in Kansas.

The committee consists of 25-35 geographically diverse members, representing various specialties, facilities, and systems that interact and impact maternal health.

Defining Maternal Mortality

Pregnancy-Associated Death

A pregnancy-associated death is the death of any woman from any cause while pregnant, or within one calendar year of termination of pregnancy.

Pregnancy-Related Death

A pregnancy-related death is the death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of the end of pregnancy from a pregnancy complication, a chain of events initiated by pregnancy, or the aggravation of an unrelated condition by the physiologic effects of pregnancy.

Working with KDHE

KDHE identifies all pregnancy-associated deaths to collect data on maternal mortality, partnering with the Kansas MMRC to review and better understand those cases. The Kansas MMRC looks deeper to determine whether the deaths were pregnancy-related and if they were preventable, then develops statewide recommendations to prevent future maternal deaths.

23.1

maternal deaths* per 100,000 live births in Kansas, 2019-2023

23.5

maternal deaths* per 100,000 live births in the United States, 2019-2023