On behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) invited MomsRising to attend an invitation-only, HRSA Maternal Mortality Summit, June 19-21, 2018.  The Summit was a premier symposium to address the challenges and best practices to reduce maternal mortality in the United States and globally. The theme of this Summit was “Promising Global Practices to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes”.   Subject matter experts from the World Health Organization, six countries, and the United States were invited to participate. Our very own Beatriz Beckford gave a talk on Maternal Mortality and Morbidity covering our work on Advocacy, Education and Raising Awareness. 

While there were several plenary sessions, we also had breakout sessions that discussed challenges and solutions to access preconception and interconception care services. These sessions included information about workforce opportunities, financing of services, and providing care to medically underserved or vulnerable populations during preconception and interconception.

Other sessions provided information on evidence-based practices that are improving maternal health outcomes both domestically and globally. The evidence-based practices included obstetric emergencies, hospital guidelines for levels of care, and safety bundles. Other panels focused on pregnancy-associated deaths, particularly those due to violence and injury, as well as their contributing factors. Best practices were described for addressing these less understood causes of maternal death. We were grateful to be invited and participate in this important gathering.