Health department medical detectives find 84% of U.S. maternal deaths are preventable

Data compiled by the CDC highlights multiple weaknesses in the system of care for new mothers, from obstetricians who are not trained (or paid) to look for signs of mental trouble or addiction, to policies that strip women of health coverage shortly after they give birth.

More than half of these deaths occur well after the mom leaves the hospital. To save lives, mothers need more support in the “fourth trimester, that time after the baby is born,” one researcher says.

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