Missouri improves in health rankings

Missouri advanced to No. 37 overall in America’s Health Ranking’s 2019 Health of Women and Children Report. That’s up from No. 41 in 2018, according to a news release. Within women’s health, Missouri jumped eight spots on the list.

The report uses 60 metrics to compare and rank the health of women of reproductive age, infants and children nationwide.

“We greatly appreciate the collaborative efforts of so many partners in the state that have resulted in our state’s health rankings advancing from 46th to 38th for women’s health and from 36th to 32nd for children’s health,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, in the release. “And yet, the report clearly identifies areas in which we are determined to improve the state’s infrastructure and workforce to meet our fundamental mission of prevention as it relates to maternal mortality, vaccination of preventable diseases and other clinical outcomes.”

According to the report, one challenge is the high rate of maternal mortality in the state. Missouri legislators passed Senate Bill 514 this year, which established a Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review in order to improve data collection and reporting of maternal deaths in Missouri. According to the release, the newly formed PAMR Board is responsible for analyzing all maternal deaths and making recommendations for preventive measures. DHSS was recently accepted into Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health collaborative, and the department also is coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review maternal deaths and identify prevention opportunities.