Prevention of Maternal Violent Deaths

About Prevention of Violent Maternal Deaths

The impact of violence is often overlooked as a contributor to maternal mortality.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health provides the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) with funding to reduce Maternal Deaths Due to Violence. This is a 5-year grant that promotes initiatives that 1) implement and improve the data collection and reporting system that identifies and reviews maternal death, 2) implement evidence-based strategies to reduce maternal deaths due to violence, and 3) implement a process and outcome evaluation and develop a plan to sustain efforts to reduce maternal deaths due to violence.

TDH has been reviewing pregnancy-associated deaths since 2017. From 2017 to 2022, 555 deaths were reviewed. Of those, 84 were intentional violent deaths, with 57 dying by homicide and 27 by suicide. The majority were determined by the review team to be preventable. This data highlights the importance of prevention initiatives around risk factors identified during the reviews. Key risk factors to be addressed include intimate partner violence and postpartum depression.

During this funding period, TDH will focus on intimate partner violence through training home-visiting staff, care coordinators, and healthcare providers. Trainings will cover recognizing and screening for intimate partner violence, as well as local and state resources for victims. Another focus for this project will address postpartum depression through training healthcare providers and home-visiting staff in recognizing and screening for depression and anxiety throughout the pregnancy and postpartum periods.

An evaluation plan has been developed as part of this grant project. The evaluation will utilize a mixed-methods approach to assess the impact of programmatic activities. The purpose of the evaluation is to enhance program activities and identify opportunities to sustain them to reduce and prevent violent maternal deaths.

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Maternal Health Task Force

In response to Tennessee's rising rate of maternal mortality, the Maternal Health Task Force(MHTF) was established to engage partners statewide to identify and address issues and find opportunities to improve maternal health.

TDH recognizes the importance of a coordinated and strategic approach to maternal health. To advance this statewide effort, the MHTF convenes a multidisciplinary group of maternal health leaders, community members, and persons with lived experience.

The MHTF welcomes members who wish to help advance this work and improve maternal health in Tennessee. Membership is free and tiered to support each member's desired level of activity.

Visit the Maternal Health Task Force page to learn more and apply.