Gov. Steve Sisolak signs legislation to create a Maternal Mortality Review Committee in May, 2019. (Governor’s press office photo)
Gov. Steve Sisolak signed legislation to create the first statewide Maternal Mortality Review Committee.
Assembly Bill 169, sponsored by Democratic Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno, would examine the state’s mortality and morbidity rates among pregnant women and present recommendations to the legislature on how to respond.
Lawmakers worked to get the legislation signed in time for the state to meet a May 8 deadline to apply for federal funding for the committee. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to allocate $43 million in grant funding to states and local governments that create committees to track pregnancy-related deaths.
While Nevada’s maternal mortality rate — 6.2 deaths per 100,000 according to America’s Health Rankings — is lower than the national average, the U.S. as a whole has the worst rate among developed nations. The rate is disproportionately high among black women in the U.S.
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