Health and Human Services (HHS) Initiative to Improve Maternal Health

Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Improve Maternal Health

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action outlines strategies and actions for a diverse set of external stakeholders to improve maternal health. These documents complement and reinforce each other, highlighting the important role all Americans can take to drive progress towards improving maternal health in the U.S. 

HHS Initiative to Improve Maternal Health

The Department’s Action Plan lays out a vision for improving maternal health that applies a “life course” approach organized around four goals and it sets three ambitious targets to achieve this vision. Each of the four goals includes multiple objectives and action items to drive progress. The Action Plan also describes the current state of maternal health outcomes in the U.S., challenges in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity, and recent efforts to improve maternal health.

Office on Women's Health

In addition, the Office on Women's Health (available in Spanish) launched a new Maternal Health website that outlines the specific goals and targets to address maternal health disparities. Addressing the factors contributing to maternal mortality will translate into reductions in maternal morbidity that can have important short-term and long-term implications for the health of mothers and babies.