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A maternal and child health crisis is growing across America. , two women on average die in the United States every day following childbirth and an additional 1,000 women are affected every week by complications during delivery. It’s an unacceptable reality because these deaths can be prevented with proper health care before, during and after pregnancy.

That’s the message coming from the Hackensack Meridian Health’s Maternal Health Task Force, a blue-ribbon panel of internal and external experts dedicated to improving maternal health outcomes. The task force’s goal is to make New Jersey the safest state in the nation to have a baby. It’s a critical mission as data shows New Jersey is one of the most dangerous states for women to give birth – with the fifth highest maternal death rate in the country. In a about the task force, Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, said, “Our mothers deserve better. As New Jersey’s largest health network, Hackensack Meridian Health is dedicated to changing that outcome in New Jersey.”

The task force builds upon HMH’s work to improve maternal health and raise awareness in the communities it serves. Focus is on education, collaboration and communications. The health system’s maternal fetal medicine physicians specialize in high-risk conditions in pregnant women and their babies. Working together, doctors and their patients set a course for health before, during and after pregnancy, ensuring healthy futures for both mothers and children.

For more information on HMS’s maternal health, visit: