WHEREAS, The United States ranks highest among industrialized nations in maternal mortality; and

WHEREAS, More than 700 women die each year in the United States as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications, and more than one-half of these deaths are preventable; and

WHEREAS, While the national maternal mortality rate continues to rise, California continues to work diligently and successfully to reverse this alarming trend; and

WHEREAS, The California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC), a multistakeholder organization committed to ending preventable morbidity, mortality, and racial disparities in California maternity care, was founded in 2006 at Stanford University School of Medicine, in coordination with the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (CA-PAMR) and the Public Health Institute, in response to rising maternal mortality and morbidity rates; and

WHEREAS, CMQCC uses research, quality improvement toolkits, statewide outreach collaboratives, and its innovative Maternal Data Center to improve health outcomes for mothers and infants; and

WHEREAS, Since the inception of CMQCC and CA-PAMR, California has achieved a roughly 65-percent reduction in maternal mortality between 2006 and 2016; and

WHEREAS, Californias pregnancy-related mortality ratio (PRMR) in 2019 was 12.8 deaths per 100,000 live births and was lower than the PRMR of 16.1 in 2018; and

WHEREAS, The rate of pregnancy-related deaths from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in California decreased significantly in 2017 to 2019, inclusive, and for the first time, hypertensive disorders are no longer among the top five leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths in California. However, cardiovascular disease continued to be the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in 2017 to 2019, inclusive, followed by hemorrhage, sepsis or infection, thrombotic pulmonary embolism, and amniotic fluid embolism; and

WHEREAS, CA-PAMR reported that California suicide ratios remained relatively stable from 2008 to 2016, inclusive, regardless of pregnancy status, and women who were pregnant in the year prior to death were significantly less likely to die by suicide than reproductive-age women who were not pregnant within the prior year; and

WHEREAS, A womans maternal mental health condition can also be a factor in maternal mortality and recent efforts have been made to bring greater awareness to maternal mental health, ensure more women are screened and treated for postpartum depression or psychosis, and ensure more women remain covered by health insurance upon diagnosis; and

WHEREAS, Improved screening alone can reduce the severity of postpartum depression, which makes the efforts of obstetric providers, including implementing more aggressive screening techniques and making strides to further recognize and treat maternal mental health conditions, immensely valuable; and

WHEREAS, While California has set an example for the rest of the country and has made progress to reduce maternal mortality through investment in maternal health programs, strong leadership and engagement of the maternity care community, and targeted hospital quality improvement, more needs to be done to narrow racial and ethnic disparities, especially with Black women, who account for only 5 percent of pregnancies in California but represent 21 percent of pregnancy-related deaths and whose pregnancy-related mortality ratio is three to four times greater than the mortality ratios for women of other racial or ethnic groups, including White, Hispanic, and Asian and Pacific Islander; and

WHEREAS, The State Department of Public Health must continue its surveillance to bring heightened awareness to maternal health and lower maternal deaths; and

WHEREAS, California must maintain its efforts to maximize health prior to pregnancy, including, but not limited to, preventing smoking, improving fitness, reducing sexually transmitted diseases, and promoting positive relationships; and

WHEREAS, California must continue to address the postpartum needs of women through such efforts as postpartum visits and interconception care, breastfeeding support, and screening for postpartum depression; and

WHEREAS, California should continue to promote positive birth outcomes for all women through actions, including maternity care quality improvement and home visiting for vulnerable pregnant women, providing additional support for Black women, and increasing culturally and linguistically relevant public awareness about maternal mental health risk factors, signs, symptoms, treatment, and recovery; and

WHEREAS, California should maintain its efforts to improve the coordination of care between obstetrics and psychiatry regarding mental health treatment, as needed, and to continue advancements for improved screening for mental health conditions during and after pregnancy, as well as screening for substance use, adverse childhood experiences, medical diagnoses, including infectious disease, and intimate partner violence; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature seeks to bring awareness to maternal health and continue its work to provide positive outcomes for both the mother and the infant; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims January 23, 2026, as Maternal Health Awareness Day to draw attention to the efforts that have improved maternal health in California and to highlight the need for continued improvement of maternal health for all women; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

ACR 117: Maternal Health Awareness Day.

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