Louisiana’s Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) Committee convened in 2010. The state has reviewed maternal deaths in some capacity, however, since 1992. The current committee has about 40 rotating members, meets quarterly, and reviews all pregnancy-associated and related cases. In 2017, Louisiana had 61,163 births and 65 pregnancy-associated deaths. The goal of the Louisiana PAMR is to identify and review all pregnancy-associated and related deaths in Louisiana to develop actionable recommendations to reduce maternal mortality.
Contacts
Primary
Name
Kayla Bruce
Credentials
MPH
Title
Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Epidemiologist
Affiliation
Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Bureau of Family Health
MMRC Role
Epidemiologist/Data Analyst
Email
Phone
781-910-1366
Primary
Name
Rachel Hyde
Credentials
RN, MPH
Title
Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review Coordinator
Affiliation
Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Bureau of Family Health
MMRC Role
Coordinator
Abstractor
Email
Phone
504-568-3541
Secondary
Name
Veronica Gillispie-Bell
Credentials
MD, MAS, FACOG
Title
Medical Director, Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review
Affiliation
Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Bureau of Family Health
MMRC Role
State Agency Leadership
Medical Director
Phone
504-568-3504
Sources of Funding
ERASE MM
Yes
STATE MATERNAL HEALTH INNOVATION
No
TITLE V MCH SERVICES BLOCK GRANT
Yes
STATE BUDGET
No
Scope of cases reviewed
All pregnancy-associated deaths (All deaths of women while pregnant or within one year of the end of pregnancy, due to any cause)
Individuals, Disciplines, and Organizations Represented on Review
Organizations | Core Disciplines | Specialty Disciplines |
---|---|---|
Academic Institutions
Behavioral Health Agencies
Community-Based Doula Program
FIMR/CDR Programs
Healthy Start Agencies
Hospitals/Hospital Association
Private and Public Insurers
Professional Assoc. State Chapters
State Title V Program
Violence Prevention Agencies
|
Community Advocates
Community Birth Workers
Forensic Pathology
Maternal Fetal Medicine/Perinatology
Nurse Midwifery
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Patient/Family Advocate
Perinatal Nursing
Public Health
Social Work
|
Cardiology
Community Leadership
Emergency Response
Epidemiology
Home Nursing
Mental Health Provider
Public Health Nursing
Quality/Risk Management
|
State Materials

Louisiana Department of Health
2022
The United States has some of the most technologically advanced healthcare systems in the world, yet our maternal mortality rate is higher than any other developed country. Most concerning are the significant racial disparities that exist. Women are dying during a period when they should have a lot of support, both in health care and in their communities. In order to prevent future deaths, we must understand why women are dying during pregnancy, childbirth, and their first year postpartum. Collecting, analyzing, and comparing maternal mortality data has been challenging to accomplish both nationally and locally due to a lack of standard definitions. Maternal mortality is defined slightly differently by several different health organizations. Louisiana analyzes and reports on all pregnancy-associated deaths, a death that occurs during pregnancy or within one year of the end of pregnancy, regardless of the cause. This term encompasses pregnancy-related deaths; pregnancy-associated, but not related deaths; and pregnancy associated, but unable to determine relatedness deaths.

2021
Louisiana reviews all pregnancy-associated deaths of Louisiana residents, regardless of cause of death. This report summarizes all 2018 pregnancy-associated deaths that occurred in-state and resulting recommendations for prevention.

2019
In response to national and local concern regarding rising maternal mortality rates, this report summarizes LA-PAMR’s recent review of maternal deaths from 2011-2016, and subsequent recommendations regarding pregnancy-related deaths (those aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, occurring during a pregnancy or within 42 days of the end of a pregnancy).
