Maternal mortality in the United States is a national tragedy, Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Women in the US experience a rate of maternal mortality twice as high and sometimes three times as high as that of other high income countries. How do we account for this dismal statistic and what can we do about it? At a recent Johns Hopkins talk, CDC director Mandy Cohen responds.

Cohen: We particularly see black moms died almost 2 1/2 to three times more often than white moms. CDC is now able to run maternal mortality work in all 50 states. From those mortality reviews has come the information about needing access to care during pregnancy and after pregnancy, particularly mental health care is really important. So one of the things that it has driven in many, many states is to make sure that Medicaid coverage was expanded for 12 months after delivery.    :33

Cohen says the agency is also spotlighting high blood pressure and its management as part of this effort. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.