ODH study: More than half of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable

Over half of pregnancy-related deaths in Ohio were preventable and black women died at a rate more than two and a half times that of white women, according to the state’s first comprehensive report on pregnancy-associated maternal deaths (Source: “Half of Ohio pregnancy-related deaths preventable, report shows,” Dayton Daily News, Nov. 20, 2019).

The Ohio Department of Health report found 186 Ohio women’s deaths were related to or aggravated by pregnancy or pregnancy management. This includes 14 deaths in the Dayton metro area.

Over half of the deaths (57%) were thought to be preventable among deaths occurring from 2012 through 2016, which is when the state started to consistently determine whether there was a chance to alter the outcome.

The release of the report coincides with the Ohio Department of Health getting $12 million in federal funding to address maternal mortality across the state.