The MCDR initiative is facilitated by the Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Health / Section of Women’s, Children’s, and Family Health. AHHA works with the MCDR Committee to share recommendations and implement strategies to reduce severe maternal morbidity and mortality in Alaska. 

 

This work will:

• Facilitate an understanding of the drivers of maternal mortality and complications of pregnancy and better understand the associated disparities.

• Determine what interventions at patient, provider, facility, system, and community levels will have the most effect.

• Inform the implementation of initiatives in the right places for families and communities who need them most.

 

The multidisciplinary MCDR committee reviews all Alaska maternal deaths. MCDR defines a maternal death as any death within one year of pregnancy due to any cause.

 

AHHA partners with State of Alaska MCDR staff and the volunteer members of the Maternal Child Death Review Committee to publish and promote a comprehensive list of recommendations with the goal of preventing future maternal deaths. 

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MCDR is seeking healthcare providers, behavioral health clinicians, social service and violence intervention professionals, and first responders who work with rural Alaskan mothers and children to participate in multidisciplinary review meetings. The involvement of panelists who are Tribal Members, People of Color and who have experience working directly with populations experiencing health disparities is essential to MCDR’s efforts to promote health equity by identifying and making recommendations to address systemic factors underlying preventable deaths.

 

To learn more about membership requirements or to nominate a potential panelist, please contact Maternal and Child Death Review Program at hss.wcfh.MCDR@alaska.gov.​

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​AHHA has developed a Severe Maternal Morbidity Review Toolkit to support people who are working to improve the quality of perinatal care provided mainly at the hospital level. The toolkit includes resources for conducting Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) reviews and forms to support review committees.

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State of Alaska Fast Facts:

• The Maternal Child Death Review (MCDR) committee reviews all Alaska maternal deaths. MCDR defines a maternal death as any death within one year of pregnancy due to any cause.

• The MCDR committee has found that most recent maternal deaths in Alaska were potentially preventable, with at least some chance to alter the outcome.

• Drug or alcohol use or substance use disorders were documented in 72% of all pregnancy-associated deaths reviewed by MDCR during 2016-2022. Similarly, 71% of decedents had a history of being a victim or possible victim of interpersonal violence. (MCDR)

• In 2022, 15% of all Alaskans delivering live births experienced postpartum depressive symptoms. (PRAMS)

• Among all Alaskans delivering live births in 2022, 18% reported that they had depression and 29% reported they had anxiety during pregnancy. (PRAMS)
   

Annual preventive care visits with women of childbearing age are a chance to conduct critical screening, counseling and referrals for behavioral health needs and provide other care to optimize the health of women before, between and beyond potential pregnancies. In 2022, 70.3% of Alaskan women ages 18-44 said they had visited a doctor for a routine checkup in the past year.