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Maternal Mortality Review Committee

Board of Health 2025 Rule Review

Pursuant to Executive Order D 2012-002 (EO2) and Section 24-4-103.3, C.R.S., the department is required to review its Board Of Health rules every five to seven years to ensure they are efficient, effective, and essential. The Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) is scheduled for a Board of Health rule review in the summer of 2025, , and we are soliciting input on any potential changes.

Rules direct the activities and conduct of other entities that engage in public health and environmental activities. Rules are created and modified for many reasons including: 

  • updates to program practices or needs
  • partner and community needs or requests
  • changes in terminology, new instrumentation
  • technology, or devices being utilized or required
  • changes in federal or state statutes or federal regulations

Rule changes often incorporate components that are both internally and externally driven. Rules must not conflict with existing statutes, but can help to clarify the statutes that are already in place. The current maternal mortality health rules are available on the Colorado Secretary of State's website.

If you wish to recommend any changes to the rules, please submit them using the Maternal Mortality Health Rule Review Google form.

The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2025. Thank you for taking the time to share your input. 

If you are unable to submit responses using the Google form, responses can also be submitted using a Word document and emailed to preventmaternalmortality@state.co.us, with the subject line: BOH rulemaking input.

   
 

What does the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) do?

Reviews pregnancy-associated deaths 
Reveals key facts and contributing factors 
Recommends ways to prevent pregnancy-associated deaths in the future

The Colorado Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) is a multidisciplinary group that convenes monthly primarily virtually to comprehensively review the deaths of all Colorado residents that occur during or within one year of the end of pregnancy. MMRCs are the gold standard for maternal death review. The Colorado MMRC is convened by the Maternal Mortality Prevention Program at CDPHE. This work is part of the program’s mission to ensure all birthing people of Colorado have perinatal experiences where they feel connected and get the care they want and need.

The MMRC comprises a group of health care providers, public health professionals, and people with lived experience, including: 
 

Anesthesiology

Psychology/Psychiatry

Obstetrics/Gynecology

Community/Lived Experience

Patient Advocacy

Midwifery

Public Health

Nursing

Maternal Fetal Medicine

Forensic Pathology

Social Work

Mental and Behavioral Health

Rural Health

Doula

The MMRC reviews de-identified information compiled from medical records, vital records, social service records, family interviews, and more to:

  • Determine the annual number of maternal deaths in Colorado
  • Determine whether the death was related to the pregnancy
  • Determine if the death could have been prevented
  • Identify trends and factors that might contribute to maternal deaths
  • Make recommendations to improve maternal outcomes and prevent mortality
  • Make recommendations to improve maternal health outcomes

MMRC recommendations

Implementing MMRC recommendations can lead to:

  • More equitable maternal outcomes
  • Better access to care
  • Better quality of care
  • Stronger data
  • The end of preventable pregnancy-related deaths

Access MMRC data

  • Data and recommendations from the MMRC’s review process are available in publications and can be requested by the public. Access reports and learn more about requesting data on the Maternal Health Data web page.

Learn more about maternal mortality interviews

  • The MMRC reviews all instances where a person dies while pregnant or up to one year after the end of pregnancy(e.g. abortion, stillborn, live birth). The FAQ provides more information about interviews.

 

Learn more about MMRCs across the country

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) supports the work of MMRCs across the country Learn more by visiting the CDC website.

Subscribe to the Maternal Wellness Update Newsletter and stay informed with news from the Children, Youth and Families Branch.