1 SJR106
2 213500-2
3 By Senators Coleman-Madison, Hatcher, Singleton, Albritton,
4 Allen, Barfoot, Beasley, Butler, Chambliss, Chesteen, Dunn,
5 Elliott, Figures, Givhan, Gudger, Holley, Jones, Livingston,
6 Marsh, McClendon, Melson, Orr, Price, Reed, Roberts,
7 Sanders-Fortier, Scofield, Sessions, Shelnutt, Smitherman,
8 Stutts, Waggoner, Whatley and Williams
9 RFD:
10 First Read: 22-APR-21
Page 0
 SJR106
1 SJR106
2
3
4 ENROLLED, SJR106,
5 RECOGNIZING THE FIRST REPORT FROM ALABAMA'S MATERNAL
6 MORTALITY REVIEW COMMITTEE AND CALLING FOR CONTINUED FUNDING.
7
8 WHEREAS, maternal mortality is a national crisis
9 with sobering statistics and is associated with complex and
10 multi-layered factors, such as barriers to health care access,
11 racial and ethnic disparities, and social determinants of
12 health; and
13 WHEREAS, more than 700 deaths are estimated to occur
14 in the United States each year, with significant gaps in rates
15 between race and ethnicity; and
16 WHEREAS, in the wake of increasing maternal
17 mortality in the United States, national and state attention
18 has turned to actions to remediate the growing issue; and
19 WHEREAS, the Alabama Maternal Mortality Review
20 Committee (AL-MMRC) was launched in 2018 by the Alabama
21 Department of Public Health to determine the scope of maternal
22 mortality and put forth actional recommendations that may
23 positively affect maternal outcomes; and
Page 1
 SJR106
1 WHEREAS, the AL-MMRC was comprised mainly of
2 volunteers and did not receive any state or federal funding
3 until 2020; and
4 WHEREAS, as a direct result of the investment made
5 by the Alabama Legislature and Governor Ivey to fund the
6 program, the AL-MMRC undertook a dedicated review of all
7 maternal deaths from 2016 and issued a formal report which
8 detailed the following: A total of 36 women died during
9 pregnancy or within one year following the end of their
10 pregnancy, and 13 of the deaths were directly related to
11 pregnancy; collectively, two-thirds of maternal deaths
12 occurred 43 days to one year after the end of pregnancy;
13 nearly 70 percent of maternal deaths were found to have had
14 some chance of being prevented; mental health and substance
15 abuse disorders were identified as key contributors in almost
16 50 percent of deaths; and an overwhelming majority, 67
17 percent, of women who passed away were Medicaid recipients;
18 and
19 WHEREAS, over the course of the 2016 case reviews,
20 the AL-MMRC recorded more than 100 recommendations, including:
21 Expanding Medicaid for women up to one year postpartum;
22 waiving Medicaid's current 30-day waiting period for women
23 requesting a postpartum bilateral tubal ligation; increasing
24 access to mental health services and substance abuse
25 treatment; reviewing policies discouraging pregnant women from
Page 2
 SJR106
1 seeking treatment; making an autopsy review routine for all
2 cases referred to the AL-MMRC; and increasing awareness in the
3 health care community and with the general public about
4 maternal mortality issues; and
5 WHEREAS, the AL-MMRC remains committed to continuing
6 its work of reviewing maternal deaths in order to gain further
7 insight as to why and how these deaths occur and developing
8 strategies which may circumvent future deaths; and
9 WHEREAS, all efforts must be employed to mobilize
10 the State's collective expertise and technological advances to
11 save the mothers of Alabama; now therefore,
12 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH
13 HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That the we declare that we are
14 committed to improving maternal health outcomes in Alabama,
15 that preserving the life of Alabama mothers is of paramount
16 importance, and that continued funding of the AL-MMRC is
17 necessary to review maternal deaths and develop programs that
18 will positively impact, and ultimately save, Alabama mothers.
Page 3
 SJR106
1
2
3
4 President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
5
6 Speaker of the House of Representatives
7 SJR106
8 Senate 22-APR-21
9 I hereby certify that the within Senate Joint Resolution
10 originated in and was adopted by the Senate.
11
12 Patrick Harris,
13 Secretary.
14
15
16
17 House of Representatives
18 Adopted: 29-APR-21
19
20
21 By: Senator Coleman-Madison
Page 4