NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee State University is getting a grant to help lead the way to combat maternal mortality.
The school is receiving a five year grant of $2.3 million to research maternal health disparities.
Maternal mortality is defined as a death while a woman is pregnant or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy due to related complications.
TSU is one of 15 HBCU's getting this grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, to establish research centers and address what TSU's public health director calls an "urgent need for action."
The U.S. has the highest rate of maternal deaths in the world, and Tennessee has one of the highest rates in the country.
According to the CDC, maternal mortality rose from 861 deaths in 2020 to more than 1,205 in 2021 — a 40 percent increase. The rate for Black women to die from pregnancy is almost 3 times higher than white women.
Along with research, TSU said this grant will help train more Black healthcare workers who can close that disparity and save more mother's lives.
