Rising U.S. Mortality Rate For Mothers Is Highest In Texas
Rising U.S. Mortality Rate For Mothers Is Highest In Texas
August 27, 20168:39 AM ET
Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday
The maternal mortality rate in Texas doubled from 2010 to 2014. Dr. Lisa Hollier of Texas' Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force tells NPR's Scott Simon it's a complex problem.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Texas has some of the best medical care facilities in the world, but a study in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Medical Journal singles out Texas for concern because its maternal mortality rate has doubled. From 2010 to 2014, the mortality rate for mothers dying from complications of childbirth has risen in the U.S. generally over a decade, but that increase has been sharpest in Texas where more than 600 women died between 2010 and 2014 while they were pregnant or within six weeks of giving birth.
Dr. Lisa Hollier heads Texas's Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force. She joins us from the studios of KPFT in Houston. Thanks so much for being with us, Doctor.
LISA HOLLIER: It's a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
SIMON: And why does Texas have such troubling numbers?
HOLLIER: We are very concerned about the numbers that we see here in Texas. In fact, Texas established the Maternal Mortality Review Task Force in 2013 to further investigate the potential causes for the rising maternal mortality rate, and we have recently published our report.
SIMON: And?
HOLLIER: We find that African-American women are bearing the greatest risk for maternal death. In fact, their rate of maternal death is about three times higher than it is for women of other races and ethnicities. In the years 2011 to 2012, African-American women accounted for 11 percent of the births but accounted for 28 percent of the maternal deaths.
SIMON: And why this circumstance, do you think, Dr. Hollier?
HOLLIER: We are studying this very closely. Some of the things that we found - that the most common cause of maternal mortality was cardiac events or heart problems. The second most common explanation was an overdose with prescription drugs. And the third was hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Those are things like preeclampsia, eclampsia, you may have heard of it as toxemia of pregnancy.
SIMON: I've got to point out, as I'm sure some people have, that there are other states that have these same kind of afflictions and problems with opioid addiction that certain communities in Texas have had. Why do you think the maternal mortality rate, though, has been so much higher in Texas?
HOLLIER: We know that there are several things that were more commonly seen among women who died than in those who did not. And those complications include things like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cesarean delivery and late prenatal care.
SIMON: Could this increase in maternal mortality have something to do with the cuts the Texas legislature made during this time, that, according to what we read, caused more than 80 family planning clinics, which provided many medical services to pregnant women, to shut down?
HOLLIER: Well, I don't believe that there is any single cause that is contributing to this rise. Maternal mortality is a very, very complex problem, and there are many different things that are involved.
SIMON: So when medical clinics have to close - you know, to cite an example that I think of as apocryphal but maybe not just apocryphal - if a woman is pregnant in Nacogdoches used to be able to go to a clinic that was 20 miles from home and now she has to go to one that's 180 miles from home, that could make a difference, right?
HOLLIER: Again, I think that access to health care across a woman's lifespan is incredibly important, and things that we can do to permit that access are very important.
SIMON: Dr. Lisa Hollier is director of the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force. Thanks so much for being with us.
HOLLIER: Thank you.
http://www.npr.org/2016/08/27/491613560/rising-u-s-mortality-rate-for-mothers-is-highest-in-texas
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So here there is proof that closing clinics has contributed to the rise of deaths.
NO there isn't it's like they said.
HOLLIER: Well, I don't believe that there is any single cause that is contributing to this rise. Maternal mortality is a very, very complex problem, and there are many different things that are involved.
Dean- she didn't say closing the clinics wasn't a contributing factor either. It sounded like she was dodging the question. You can't tell me that closing a clinic and the nearest alternative is hundreds of miles away and the women that need it's services don't have a way to get there it's not going to be a deterrent?
Come on Dean, that's a pretty easy conclusion to reach.
Ah, no...
What's that Cerenkov? You're mumbling...........I can't understand a word you're saying.
Not surprising. Disgusting, but not surprising... A logical outcome.
But what do we care? They're just a bunch of women... /s
I take it this is related to the abortion issue . and the law in Texas that made it mandatory for clinics that performed abortions to have practicing priviliges or affiliation with local hospitals?
the way I understand it , simple prenatal clinics would have or should have still been allowed , it was simply the offering of abortion services that required the additional affiliation and practicing priviliges.
if I am wrong , please correct me.
You're wrong. :0)
This isn't about abortion, its about women's health care. The clinics were closed due to funding. Texas reduced its funding that supported the clinics so they had to reduce the number of clinics.
OK , since I am a 54 year old sterile male , abortion isn't exactly one of my concerns , so the problem is that the state defunded clinics and there are not enough to cover the area . isn't that a taxation issue then and what the tax base has a say on ?
Yes. I guess Texas doesn't value life.
I don't understand you Mark, are you saying that the tax base should "have a say" in whether or not the maternal mortality rate is too high?
No john , I'm still trying to get a handle on this story myself , but if a state is to fund anything , the way they raise revenue to pay for the funding is generally through taxation of some sort, or there is some other means of generating that revenue, a states coffers are not exactly unlimited , the voter base tend to decide their taxation through those they elect to office . if the funds are not there to fund this then taxation , is looked at as a means to generate the funds , but isn't it the voters whenever a levy or taxation bill comes up ( at least on the county and state level) vote to approve or disapprove such measures?
from what I read , which didn't answer much , got more from PJ really it sounds like a funding problem of where to get those funds , which leads me to what I said above about taxation or levys or mil bonds . but everyone ( meaning states ) does things differently. like I said just trying to get a handle on the story myself.
first part of fixing any problem is admitting there actually is a problem , I think so far everyone agrees there is a problem.
why? its being said it was the defunding of clinics , ok , WHY where they defunded, was it lack of revenue on the states half? was it mandated budget cuts where the clinics held a lower priority than something else that was also on the block but was saved by elimination of clinics?
the only entity that I can think of that can continually run a program or project in the red is the Federal government , the state county and local governments cant do that without declaring bankruptcy.
Ok this has been going on for 6 years now , what has the state , county or local governments looked into to attempt to find some funding? what is stopping a local government from implementing a a levy on property taxes to fund a bare bones preventative clinic? the county might have a better chance at this because it has a larger base to draw from and can at least keep the services within the county, but both those entities would be at the mercy of approval from its voter base.
There are other aspects to consider , is it to be a free clinic , does it charge on a graduated basis based on income , or does current full medical prices dictate the costs? medical personel don't work for free usually.
I am remembering nothing ever truly comes free , someone ends up paying for it , and money for funding doesn't grow on trees, that's why it would be best imho , to have 2-3 different ways to pay for funding something like this .