In March 2016, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 6534, which created the Maternal Mortality Review Panel and directed it to conduct comprehensive, multidisciplinary reviews of maternal deaths in Washington. Its purpose is to identify factors associated with maternal deaths and make recommendations for system changes that can improve health care for women in the state.
As part of the bill, the secretary of health will appoint voluntary members to the panel. By July 1, 2017 and every following two years, the panel will submit a report to the secretary of health and the legislature regarding maternal deaths in the previous two-year period.
The Department of Health is recruiting panel members and is interested in building a multidisciplinary and diverse panel. It hopes to include clinical experts in the field of obstetrics and women’s health from scross Washington State. For more information and to apply to become a panel member, please visit www.doh.wa.gov/maternalmortality or contact Alexis Bates, perinatal health consultant, at alexis.bates@doh.wa.gov or (360)-236-3510. (Carol Wagner)
