North Texas launches $25 million effort to curb maternal health crisis – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

North Texas Initiative Addresses Maternal Health Crisis in Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: A Regional Response to a Global Health Imperative

A coalition of healthcare providers in North Texas has launched the Maternal Health Accelerator (MHA) to combat high maternal morbidity rates. This initiative directly supports Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), specifically Target 3.1, which aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio. The Dallas-Fort Worth region, which has a higher number of births than 30 U.S. states, is a critical area for this intervention, as local leaders note it is less safe to have a baby in many parts of the country today than it was 50 years ago.

Strategic Partnerships for Sustainable Impact (SDG 17)

The MHA exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by uniting various stakeholders to achieve a common health objective. With $25 million in secured funding, the program aims to significantly reduce severe obstetric complications through this collaborative model.

• The Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University
• The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
• Episcopal Health Foundation
• Multiple regional healthcare organizations

Data-Driven Interventions to Reduce Health Inequalities (SDG 3 & SDG 10)

The MHA’s strategy focuses on evidence-based actions to improve maternal health outcomes and address disparities, aligning with SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The program’s implementation involves several key steps:

1. Data Sharing: Commencing in January, participating providers will share critical data, including blood transfusions, ICU admissions, and postpartum statistics for Tarrant and Dallas counties, to track and analyze maternal health trends.
2. Addressing Anemia: To combat a common risk factor, the MHA is distributing iron pills directly through partner providers. This removes access and affordability barriers for pregnant women, a direct action to reduce health inequality.
3. Focusing on Postpartum Care: The initiative recognizes postpartum heart disease as a major threat, emphasizing the importance of monitoring and maintaining healthy blood pressure after delivery.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The entire article is centered on improving maternal health, which is a cornerstone of SDG 3. The launch of the North Texas Maternal Health Accelerator (MHA) to “reduce maternal morbidity rates” and address a “maternal health crisis” directly aligns with the goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.

• The article explicitly states that the MHA aims to “reduce the rate of severe obstetric complications.” This effort is a direct action toward making childbirth safer and preventing maternal deaths, which is the core objective of Target 3.1. The concern that “it is less safe to have a baby today than it was 50 years ago” further highlights the relevance of this target.

Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

• The article mentions that the MHA is “distributing iron pills to partner providers” because some pregnant women “cannot access or afford them.” This action directly addresses the need for access to affordable essential medicines, a key component of Target 3.8, by removing financial and access barriers to necessary healthcare supplements.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

Indicators for Target 3.1

• The article explicitly mentions several data points that the coalition of healthcare providers will use as indicators to track maternal health outcomes. These include:
  • The rate of severe obstetric complications.
  • The number of blood transfusions.
  • ICU admissions and readmissions.
• These metrics are directly stated as part of the plan to “track pregnancy, delivery and postpartum statistics in Tarrant and Dallas counties.”

Indicators for Target 3.8

• An indicator for measuring access to essential medicines is the distribution of iron pills. The success of this initiative could be measured by the number of women who receive the pills through the program.
• An implied health outcome indicator is the rate of anemia. The article notes that a lack of iron increases the “risk of anemia during or after pregnancy.” Therefore, tracking the incidence of anemia among pregnant women in the region would serve as an indicator of the effectiveness of providing access to this essential supplement.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nbcdfw.com