Dr. Veronica Gillispie, Maeve Wallace, Carmen Green, Flip Roberts, Royce Duplessis, Maternal Mortality Summit 2019, Omni Royal Hotel, New Orleans, LA, August 21, 2019.

On August 21st, MAC faculty Maeve Wallace participated in the Louisiana Department of Health’s Maternal Mortality Summit 2019.  Hosted by Governor John Bel Edwards and Secretary of Health Rebekah Gee, the purpose of the Summit was to gather key stakeholders in order to discuss, collaborate and generate recommendations for the reduction of maternal death and maternal harm in Louisiana. Louisiana’s startlingly high maternal mortality rate and unacceptable racial inequity in maternal mortality were impetus for the summit and calls to action by the state health department.

In attendance were health care providers from across the state, representatives from community health agencies, doula and midwifery groups, health care systems, legislators, and public health programs. A full day of interactive panels and plenary sessions yielded action items across four key areas: media and public engagement, legislation, health systems, and public and private insurers

Speaking on the day’s closing panel, Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality in Louisiana, Beyond 20x2020, Dr. Wallace was joined by Louisiana House Representative Royce Duplessis, NBEC Director Carmen Green, Vice President of Clinical Affairs for the LA Hospital Association Dr. Flip Roberts, and moderator Dr. Veronica Gillispie, Medical Director for the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and the Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review. The panelists reviewed promising solutions and ideas generated during the summit, including implementation of health systems and payer reforms and passage of state social and health policies that may advance health equity in maternal outcomes by elevating the status of all women in Louisiana.