Texas Maternal Health Receives 'D' Grade in March of Dimes Report

Texas Maternal Health Report Card

• 📉 The March of Dimes 2025 report card shows Texas is falling behind in maternal and infant health, earning a D grade for the third consecutive year.
• 📊 Dallas County maintained a C, Collin County slipped to a C+, and Tarrant County improved slightly to a D+.

Key Gaps in Maternal Care

• ⚠️ Despite some gains like extending Medicaid postpartum and forming a committee to study maternal deaths, significant gaps remain.
• 🚫 These gaps include the lack of Medicaid expansion, no required paid parental leave, no dual reimbursement, and no coverage for postpartum depression screenings.
• 📌 A critical issue highlighted is that one in three moms in Texas is not seeing a physician during her first trimester.

Potential for Improvement

• 🌱 It is believed that ensuring moms are healthy and receive continuous care during pregnancy could lead to much better outcomes for Texas moms and babies.

New Research Initiatives

• 🔬 TCU's Burnett School of Medicine is partnering with UT Southwestern on new research to combat maternal morbidity and reduce severe pregnancy complications across the state.
• 📢 The official announcement of this collaboration is scheduled for noon at TCU's campus.