Last session at the Arizona Legislature, as lawmakers debated the budget and how to fund education, another issue made some waves as well: maternal mortality.
State Sen. Kate Brophy McGee (R-Phoenix) wanted to know why so many mothers in Arizona are dying in childbirth. Her bill, which was signed by Gov. Doug Ducey in April, established a 13-member advisory committee to investigate and better track and prevent maternal deaths in our state.
Now, the Arizona Department of Health Services has received a $10.5 million federal grant that will help to further that effort in a big way. Arizona was one of just nine states to get the funding.
For more on this, The Show sat down with Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, to discuss where Arizona's maternal mortality rates stand now.
