Policy Development

DC Maternal Mortality Review Committee

State/Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
Setting: Clinical
Population: Medical & Public Health Professionals Women & Maternal
Topic Area: Safe and Connected Communities
NPMs: NPM 2: Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery NPM 3: Risk-Appropriate Perinatal Care

The MMRC was created by the DC City Council in consultation with the DC Department of Health (DOH) to identify the causes of maternal mortality in DC and determine actions that can be taken to decrease the rate. The multidisciplinary committee includes obstetricians, midwives, RN, doula, social worker, community members and representatives from the DOH, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) (where the committee is housed), Health Care Finance, Human Service and Behavioral Health. The committee is charged with the task of reviewing the maternal deaths of all DC residents and the maternal deaths of non-DC residents that occur in DC hospitals. The first meeting of the committee was in May 2019. There are approximately 10,000 deliveries in DC per year. The MMRC was established within the OCME by the “Maternal Mortality Review Committee Establishment Act of 2018” (D.C. Law 22-111) which was enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia and became effective June 5, 2018. The MMRC was established to determine the causes associated with maternal mortalities of District residents and those that occur in the District, to describe and record any trends, data, or patterns that are observed surrounding maternal mortalities, to create a strategic framework for improving maternal health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities in the District, to recommend training to improve the identification, investigation, and prevention of maternal mortalities, and make publicly available an annual report of its findings, recommendations, and steps taken to evaluate implementation of past recommendations. Law 22-111, the “Maternal Mortality Review Committee Establishment Act of 2018,” was introduced in the Council and assigned Bill No. 22-524 which was referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. The bill was adopted on first and second readings on Feb. 6, 2018, and Mar. 6, 2018, respectively. After mayoral review, it was assigned Act No. 22-315 on Apr. 12, 2018, and transmitted to Congress for its review. D.C. Law 22-111 became effective June 5, 2018.


Back to Database

Implementation Handout



CONTACT INFORMATION
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
Dr. Connie Bohon
cbohon@cwcare.net

Practice Website