Members Sought for Texas Maternal Mortality
and Morbidity Review Committee
If
you’re interested in the statewide efforts to reduce maternal mortality and
morbidity in Texas, you might be interested in joining the Texas Maternal
Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC). The Texas Department of State
Health Services (DSHS) is currently accepting applications for membership on
the committee for the following positions:
- Community Advocate
- Certified Nurse-Midwife
- Medical Examiner
- Physician specializing in Obstetrics,
Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist
- Registered Nurse
The DSHS
Commissioner will appoint members to the committee to serve a six-year term or to
complete the term of a current vacancy. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m., January
15, 2021.
DSHS
will consider the applicants' qualifications, background and interest in
serving on the committee. DSHS also tries to choose committee members who, as a
whole, represent the diversity of all Texans. For that reason, DSHS considers
applicants' ethnicity, gender and geographic location.
You
may submit the application, resumé or curriculum vitae, and two letters of
recommendation by email.
Email: MaternalHealth@dshs.texas.gov
Attn: Sarah Beard
DSHS
will notify applicants by April 2021 if they have been selected.
About the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review
Committee
The MMMRC is a 17 member multidisciplinary
committee. Chapter 34, Texas Health and Safety Code, directs the MMMRC to study
and review:
- cases of
pregnancy-related deaths;
- trends,
rates, or disparities in pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity;
- health
conditions and factors that disproportionately affect the most at-risk
populations; and
- best
practices and programs operating in other states that have reduced rates of
pregnancy-related deaths;
Through this process, the MMMRC develops
recommendations to help reduce the incidence of preventable pregnancy-related
deaths and severe maternal morbidity in the state.
The Review Committee must include
representatives of each of the following:
- Four
physicians specializing in obstetrics, at least one of whom is a maternal fetal
medicine specialist
- One
certified nurse-midwife
- One
registered nurse
- One nurse
specializing in labor and delivery
- One
physician specializing in family practice
- One
physician specializing in psychiatry
- One physician
specializing in pathology
- One
epidemiologist, biostatistician, or researcher of pregnancy-related deaths
- One social
worker or social service provider
- One
community advocate in a relevant field
- One medical
examiner or coroner responsible for recording death
- One
physician specializing in critical care
A committee
member must regularly participate in committee meetings and may also have to
participate in subcommittee meetings, projects and presentations. Committee
meetings will be held at least quarterly in Austin or at the call of the
presiding officer. Teleconference case review meetings will be held at least
twice monthly. Committee members do not receive reimbursement for time or travel
expenses to participate on the committee.
To Learn More
For
more information about the committee or about applying to be on the committee,
contact Sarah Beard at MaternalHealth@dshs.texas.gov.
Background and Purpose
The Maternal Mortality
and Morbidity Task Force was created by Senate Bill 495, 83rd Legislature,
Regular Session, 2013, which added Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 34. Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force.
The name of the Task Force was changed to the Texas Maternal Mortality and
Morbidity Review Committee by Senate Bill 750, 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019 in
alignment with the federal Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018. Later in 2019, the review committee was
awarded Center for Disease Control and Prevention funding for the for the Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal
Mortality (ERASE MM) Program.
The multidisciplinary
review committee within the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) will
study maternal mortality and morbidity. The review committee:
- studies and reviews
cases of pregnancy-related deaths and trends in severe maternal morbidity,
- determines the
feasibility of the review committee studying cases of severe maternal
morbidity, and
- makes recommendations
to help reduce the incidence of pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal
morbidity in Texas.
The review committee
and DSHS must submit a joint report on the findings of the review committee and
recommendations to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the House of
Representatives, and appropriate committees of the Texas Legislature by
September 1 of each even-numbered year, beginning September 1, 2016.
Members of
the review committee are appointed by the DSHS commissioner and serve
six-year staggered terms.
Current Members
Dr. Lisa Hollier,
Chair, Physician specializing in Obstetrics, maternal fetal medicine
specialist, Houston
Dr. Carla Ortique, Vice Chair, Physician specializing in Obstetrics, Houston
Dr. Manda Hall, DSHS representative - Associate Commissioner Community Health
Improvement Division, Austin
Dr. Meitra Doty, Physician specializing in Psychiatry, Dallas
Dr. Kelly Fegan-Bohm, DSHS representative - State Epidemiologist Interim
Designee, Austin
Ms. Kimberly Williams, Community Advocate, Pearland
Dr. Pamala Gessling, Registered Nurse, Dallas
Dr. James Maher, Physician specializing in Obstetrics, Maternal-Fetal Medicine
specialist, Odessa
Dr. D. Kimberley Molina, Medical Examiner, San Antonio
Dr. Sherri Onyiego, Physician specializing in Family Practice, Houston
Dr. Amy Raines-Milenkov, Researcher of pregnancy-related deaths, Fort Worth
Dr. Patrick Ramsey, Physician specializing in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, San
Antonio
Ms. Nancy Jo Reedy, Certified Nurse-Midwife, Arlington
Ms. Nancy Alderman, Social Worker, Austin
Dr. Eumenia Castro, Pathologist, Houston
Dr. Lavannya Pandit, Physician specializing in Critical Care, Houston
Dr. Christina Murphey, Nurse specializing in Labor and Delivery, Corpus Christi
Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review
Committee Legislative Reports
Maternal Mortality and
Morbidity Task Force and Department of State Health Services Joint Biennial
Report, September 2018
Maternal Mortality and
Morbidity Task Force and Department of State Health Services Joint Biennial
Report, July 2016
Maternal Mortality and
Morbidity Task Force Report, September 2014
Maternal Mortality in Texas: Using Precision
Public Health to Improve Maternal Outcomes (with Appendix)
Explanation of
methodologies and sources used in various interpretations of the rates of
maternal mortality and related causes and risk factors in Texas, as well as
examples of activities and collaborations (planned or already in place)
directly related to the recommendations made by the Maternal Mortality and
Morbidity Review Committee.
Maternal Mortality in Texas: Using Precision
Public Health to Improve Maternal Outcomes
Appendix – Maternal Mortality in Texas:
A Comparison of Maternal Mortality Rate Change Using Different Methods
Upcoming Meeting Dates
| Date |
Time |
Location |
| June 5, 2020* | 9:00 am | Virtual Session |
| September 18, 2020 | 9:00 am | TBD |
| December 11, 2020 | 9:00 am | TBD |
*Meeting closed to the public. More Information
For More Information on Maternal and Mortality and Morbidity,
Please contact MaternalHealth@DSHS.texas.gov or:
Texas Department of State Health Services
Maternal & Child Health
PO Box 149347, Mail Code 1922
Austin, TX 78714-9347
(512) 776-7373: Phone
(512) 458-7658: Fax
External
links to other sites are intended to be informational and do not have the
endorsement of the Texas Department of State Health Services. These external
links may not be accessible to persons with disabilities.