Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR)

Maternal health outcomes help assess the overall well-being of communities. In the United States, where the maternal mortality rate is the highest among all developed countries, the deaths of mothers happen far too often. The Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) Committee works to understand pregnancy-associated deaths through epidemiological surveillance and multidisciplinary case review. A pregnancy-associated death is defined as a death that occurs during pregnancy or within one year of the end of pregnancy, regardless of the cause. The purpose of this review is to bring awareness to this public health issue and to create actionable recommendations to prevent future deaths. The latest report and supplemental materials can be found below.

What Do We Know?
Maternal deaths are not isolated events. We cannot fully understand disparities in maternal health outcomes without understanding the role of health inequities. Systemic issues such as racism and implicit biases impact our environmental conditions, sources of social support, economic security, and the quality of care we receive. All of these are social factors important for living healthy lives. Placing health equity at the center of all work combatting maternal mortality helps us improve health outcomes for everyone. 

Important PAMR Data Highlights:

  • From 2017 to 2019 in Louisiana, there were 182 pregnancy-associated deaths.
  • After decreasing 13% from 2017-2018, pregnancy-associated deaths increased by 14% from 2018-2019.
  • 80% of pregnancy-related deaths were found to be potentially preventable.
  • Significant racial disparities show that Black women are almost 2x more likely to die from a pregnancy-associated cause than White women.
  • 33% of pregnancy-associated deaths with substance use disorder as a contributing factor also had a mental health condition.

What Can Be Done?
Maternal mortality affects everyone. Each death represents a life lost, a family changed. Eliminating these outcomes will take all of us. Together, using our roles as individuals, family members, healthcare providers, and policymakers, we can create solutions and help our Louisiana communities thrive.

Get involved with some recommendations for prevention led by the Bureau of Family Health:

Find more recommendations for how you can do your part to prevent maternal mortality in the latest report and supplemental materials listed below.

Latest PAMR Info

2017-19 Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) Report ›
Read the full PAMR report to learn more about the impact of maternal mortality in Louisiana.

2017-19 PAMR Report Highlights ›
Check out important findings from PAMR and see a summary of prevention strategies.

Video: 2017-19 PAMR Report Highlights ›
Tune in as Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell reviews highlights from the 2017-19 PAMR Report.

2017-19 Substance Use Disorders Highlights ›
For data and recommendations specific to pregnant and postpartum women experiencing substance use disorders.

2017-19 PAMR Talking Points ›
Use this as a guide while spreading awareness and advocating for improved maternal health outcomes.

2017-19 PAMR Social Media Toolkit ›
Use these PAMR-related graphics and captions on your social media and help bring awareness to maternal mortality in Louisiana.

Have PAMR-related questions? You can contact us here:

Veronica Gillispie-Bell, MD, MAS
Medical Director, Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review
Veronica.Gillispie@la.gov

Anjell DeGruy, BSN, RN
Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review Coordinator
Anjell.DeGruy@la.gov

Imani Evans, MPH
Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Epidemiologist
Imani.Evans@la.gov 

Data Request Form
If you are currently involved in efforts committed to improving maternal health outcomes and you can’t find what you’re looking for in our Data Center, use this form to request additional data from our team.