DOH presents maternal mortality review: behavioral health and late postpartum deaths predominate

Katie Eilers, director of the Office of Family and Community Health at the Washington Department of Health, presented the Maternal Mortality Review Panel (MMRP) report and its recommendations to the Senate committee. She said the recent report shows maternal mortality increased and that the vast majority of pregnancy‑related deaths the panel reviewed were preventable.

Eilers said nearly half of pregnancy‑related deaths were due to behavioral‑health conditions — mostly overdoses involving fentanyl — with suicide, cardiovascular conditions and COVID‑19 also among top causes. She emphasized that most pregnancy‑related deaths occur postpartum, especially later in the first year after birth, and highlighted disparities: American Indian and Alaska Native people had the highest rates, with Black, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and multiracial communities also facing elevated risks.

The MMRP recommended investments the state can take to reduce preventable deaths, including strengthening perinatal care access and quality, expanding family‑friendly substance use treatment and inpatient stabilization benefits, bolstering doula and home visiting programs, and ensuring culturally responsive, trauma‑informed services. Eilers pointed to legislative accomplishments already in place — postpartum coverage to one year, Medicaid doula reimbursement, and House Bill 2,242 requiring insurers to cover recommended vaccines — as important steps.

Committee members asked about data gaps and barriers to postpartum care; Eilers said Washington lacks some linked clinical data and noted the PRAMS survey and EHR‑linkage pilots are areas for improvement. Senators and presenters discussed home visiting, community supports, and the need for culturally aligned services and workforce investment.