FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jan. 23, 2024

COLUMBIA, SC – In an effort to help protect the lives of new and expecting mothers across the state, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is using National Maternal Health Awareness Day (Jan. 23) to bring attention to pregnancy-related health concerns and the agency’s efforts to decrease the state’s maternal mortality rate.  

According to the 2023 South Carolina Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee Legislative Brief, the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths for 2018 and 2019 were: 

• cardiomyopathy 
• mental health conditions  
• hemorrhage  

In South Carolina, pregnancy-related deaths increased by 9.3% from 2018 to 2019. Non-Hispanic Black women were 67% more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death compared to non-Hispanic White women during that period, and women who resided in rural South Carolina counties had a 70.4% higher rate of a pregnancy-related death than their urban counterparts.  

“The increase in pregnancy-related deaths and the disparities we see in outcomes for mothers in South Carolina raises the alarm that we must do more to address maternal health,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC director. “More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, so we want to ensure that we are doing everything we can as an agency to help care for and protect these mothers so they can go on to live happy, healthy lives with their newborns." 

DHEC recently published a new Pregnancy and Postpartum Health webpage to provide education for expectant and new mothers on potentially deadly warning signs they should be aware of for their own health. The page also includes information for family members, friends and healthcare providers about listening to health concerns and recognizing the urgent warning signs for conditions related to maternal mortality. 

The new webpage was launched alongside a media campaign for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s ‘Hear Her’ Campaign in the Pee Dee region. Radio and video PSAs for ‘Hear Her’ will be broadcast in the region from January to March.  

In September 2023, DHEC’s Bureau of Maternal and Child Health was awarded a 5-year Maternal Health Innovation Grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  

• With this grant, the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health will work with partners across the state to: 
• Establish a Maternal Health Task Force and develop a Maternal Health Strategic Plan; 
• Improve the collection, analysis and application of state-level data on maternal mortality; 
• Improve access to maternal care services and identify and address workforce needs; and 
• Provide access to resources and applications that engage and enhance maternal health literacy. 

“This grant provides DHEC with the opportunity to take active steps toward improving maternal health outcomes and saving lives here in South Carolina,” said Danielle Wingo, director of DHEC’s Bureau of Maternal and Child Health. “We’ll be able to reach more expectant and new mothers to provide them with educational materials, resources and services that will help guide them through their pregnancy and ensure they are safe and protected.”  

For more information about pregnancy and postpartum health, visit DHEC’s website. To learn more about the CDC’s Hear Her Campaign, visit the CDC website.  

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