Looking for data on maternal health in Virginia? We’ve got you covered!
Tracking data and metrics on maternal health is very important for ensuring that the state and organizational partners are able understand and address maternal health needs. At the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Epidemiology and Evaluation Unit collects, analyzes, and shares data on conditions of public health importance and associated risk factors among mothers, children, and youth. Specifically, this unit helps the MCH Programs in the following ways:
- Monitors health needs of all mothers, children and youth in the Commonwealth.
- Collects and analyzes data studies information about MCH to understand what is happening.
- Prepares reports in response to questions from the media, community health planners, lawmakers, and advocacy groups.
- Designs special studies about MCH issues.
- Monitors progress toward national and state objectives.
- Evaluates MCH programs and provides information data to assist with inform policy changes.
Several dashboards exist using Virginia data from:
- Birth and death certificates
- Inpatient hospitalizations
- Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Surveillance System
- Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)