CSuJ2 - Boosting Maternal Health Outcomes: Integrating Social Drivers of Health Screening with Hypertension Management and Self-Measured Blood Pressure

Maternal mortality stands as a significant public health challenge in the United States, trailing behind many other developed nations despite higher per capita healthcare expenditures. The crisis is particularly pronounced among disproportionately affected individuals, especially Black individuals, who are at higher risk pregnancy-related complications such as hypertension. Hypertension in pregnancy, which includes chronic hypertension and pregnancy-associated hypertension, affects about 1 in 6 pregnancies and is a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Additionally, up to 40% of women miss their postpartum follow-up visits, leading to a loss of care continuity. Research underscores that maternal mortality and adverse maternal health outcomes are worsened by unmet SDOH (Social Drivers of Health) needs. The alarming surge in maternal death rates, from 754 in 2019 to 1,205 in 2021, underscores the urgent need to tackle this issue.

In this session, participants will understand the significance of using screening tools to uncover SDOH needs in Black birthing individuals. They will gain insights from health centers about how screening can help identify barriers to care and improve service delivery, providing comprehensive reproductive care and enhancing health outcomes. Participants in this session will also hear from the CDC Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention as they describe the new Hypertension in Pregnancy Change Package. Specifically, two initiatives will be highlighted- self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) in postpartum women and the effectiveness of low-dose aspirin as a preventive measure for pre-eclampsia in pregnant individuals.