SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois Department of Public Health reports mortality rates for pregnant women are increasing.
Network Administrator for the Perinatal Center at HSHS St. John's Hospital, Cindy Mitchell, said research shows between 2008 and 2016, an average of 73 women died in Illinois within a year of pregnancy.
"We need to bring our death rates down and in order to do that, there needs to be some backing with (the) legislature to make this something hospitals are accountable for," Mitchell said.
Come the new year, several laws regarding maternal health will go into effect. Mitchell said one of those laws is hospital hemorrhage and hypertension training.
"There's an increase in maternal morbidities and mortalities, so we are trying to increase everybody's education between some of the conditions that lead to that," Mitchell said.
OB/GYN's, maternal-fetal medicine and neonatologist physicians, anesthesiologists, nurses, residents and the code team simulated this type of training at the hospital.
Labor nurse Rebecca Deweese said this training helps nurses to become better prepared for any situation.
"We can have patients who walk in the door at a moment's notice and without this training, we are not as prepared to take care of them," Deweese said. "Since we don't deal with them every single day on our floor, we want to be prepared and have all of the knowledge and skills we need to take care of the patient."
Other laws regarding maternal health include a task force for infant and maternal mortality among African-Americans, maternal mental health insurance coverage and maternal mortality reporting.
