NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Biden-Harris Administration has announced millions of dollars will be awarded across the country to improve maternal health and reduce the nation's high maternal mortality rate.
The Tennessee Department of Health will receive $10,754,345 of this funding.
According to the department, pregnancy-related deaths have steadily risen over the years in Tennessee from 2017 to 2021, which is the latest year the department has reported data.
More than 130 women died either during pregnancy or within a year after the end of their pregnancy in 2021, and about 70 percent of those deaths were deemed to be preventable.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it will provide more than $568 million in funding to improve maternal health. More than $440 million of that will go towards expanding home visiting services for eligible families. This will provide nurses, social workers, and trained health workers to work with mothers and families early on in prenatal care and postpartum support.
The CDC has also announced it will invest more than $118 million to better identify and prevent pregnancy-related deaths.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at brianna.hamblin@newschannel5.com.
Forrest Sanders recently introduced us to a Nashville hero named Eudora Boxley. She was the first black woman to have a cooking show on TV in Nashville. Her grandson was precious describing Eudora and how she raised him and how proud he and the family were of her impact not only on WLAC but on a city during the turbulent Civil Rights Era. A woman who did extraordinary things at a time when history did not expect her to.
-Amy Watson
