Emails, Chris Van Deusen, director of media services, Texas Department of State Health Services, June 8-9, 2017

From: Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin)

Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2017 10:39 AM

Subject: Questions for a PolitiFact Texas fact check

Folks:

State Rep. Shawn Thierry this week said Texas mothers are dying during childbirth at the highest rate in the nation.

For a fact-check of this claim, I have questions and seek on-the-record replies:

Is what Thierry said accurate?

What’s the best up-to-date data on this topic?

How has the state’s ranking relative to other states changed over recent years—and why?

Any specific experts you recommend we contact for this fact-check?

Also, is it accurate to say the maternal mortality task force expires 2/1/19 absent legislative action?

g.

From: Van Deusen,Chris (DSHS)

Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2017 11:48 AM

To: 'Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin)'

Subject: RE: Questions for a PolitiFact Texas fact check

Hi, Gardner. I’ll get back to you on this, but we don’t have data for other states or do rankings.

Chris

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Chris Van Deusen

Director of Media Relations

Texas Dept. of State Health Services

3:26 p.m.

June 9, 2017

When people in public health talk about maternal mortality, we’re talking not only about women who die during childbirth but also those who die in some period of time after the end of a pregnancy for a pregnancy-related reason. The World Health Organization uses 42 days (full WHO definition of maternal death). Our best current data on that is below on the left. I’ve also included the corresponding data from the CDC’s database (CDC WONDER). It’s not unusual to see some differences in the numbers, but you’ll see the difference is quite pronounced for 2012. We’re actually looking into that difference right now to ensure we and other interested parties have the best possible data on maternal deaths in Texas. We hope to have results of that analysis later this year. We also expect to have data for 2015 in the next couple of weeks.

CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics may be able to speak to its data and provide data for other states and/or a ranking over time.

We also calculate and publish data on maternal deaths that occur up to one year after the end of pregnancy. You can find data by city and county in Table 28 of our Vital Statistics Annual Reports.

Identifying the reason for the increase is one of the task force’s primary objectives. The task force found the most common causes of maternal death in 2011-2012 are cardiac event (21 percent), drug overdose (12 percent) and hypertension/eclampsia (11 percent). Maternal deaths have been increasing in Texas at the same time we have seen increases in the chronic diseases that underlie many deaths: from 2005 to 2014, pre-pregnancy obesity of mothers increased 25 percent, hypertension increased 20 percent, and diabetes increased 45 percent. You can find additional discussion in the task force’s most recent report: Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force and Department of State Health Services Joint Biennial Report, July 2016.

Here’s the sunset provision in the task force law:

HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE

TITLE 2. HEALTH

SUBTITLE B.  HEALTH PROGRAMS

CHAPTER 34.  MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY TASK FORCE

Sec. 34.018.  SUNSET PROVISION.  The task force is subject to Chapter 325, Government Code (Texas Sunset Act).  Unless continued in existence as provided by that chapter, the task force is abolished and this chapter expires September 1, 2019.

Added by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 527 (S.B. 495), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013.

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Chris Van Deusen

Director of Media Relations

Texas Dept. of State Health Services