Network Created to Promote Healthier Pregnancies in Michigan

A collaborative led by the Wayne State University’s Office of Women’s Health is launching SOS Maternity, a statewide network seeking to end preventable causes of death in mothers and children in Michigan.

The state of Michigan has allocated $11 million to fund the statewide network established to address some alarming statistics, according to a news report on the Wayne State University School of Medicine website. The project includes 14 maternal-fetal medicine universities and healthcare systems across the state 

In November of 2023, the March of Dimes assigned the State of Michigan a failing D+ grade for its efforts to safeguard the health and lives of pregnant women and infants. Here are some key statistics:
• Preterm Birth Rate: Michigan’s preterm birth rate in 2023 was 10.4%, which is significantly higher than any other developed nation.
• Maternal Mortality: In 2022, nearly 100 mothers died from childbirth-related complications, a 30% increase over the past five years.
• Infant Mortality Rate: In 2021, Michigan’s infant mortality rate stood at 6.2 per 1,000 live births, substantially above the national average.

Fortunately, the stakeholders say, there are measures that can be taken to reduce complications of pregnancy by more than 40%. The network will focus on making sure every pregnant mother in Michigan has access to the best possible care.

“The SOS Maternity Network has created a statewide network of Michigan’s finest universities and healthcare systems to declare war on our terrible rates of maternal and infant mortality,” said Sonia Hassan, M.D., associate vice president of Women’s Health and founder of Wayne State University’s Office of Women’s Health, in a statement. “Through this initiative, we seek to standardize best practices across Michigan physicians, increase access of pregnant moms to prenatal care, and create systems of support for pregnant moms to have the healthiest pregnancy possible.”

To educate expectant mothers throughout the state on steps promoting healthier pregnancies, the SOS Maternity Network will host community events featuring insights from medical experts, as well as family activities, raffle prizes and light refreshments. The first event is scheduled for Oct. 28, from 1 to 4 p.m., at Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit.

Additionally, SOS Maternity invites attendees to learn more about its partnership with Lyft to ensure pregnant women have access to free rides to and from appointments, as transportation continues to be one of the leading hurdles to attending prenatal medical appointments.

The roots of the network were formed in May 2020 as the Southern Michigan Regional COVID-19 Collaborative, a coalition of 14 health care institutions serving communities throughout the state in Michigan’s largest maternal-fetal medicine obstetrical research collaborative. The network collected data on more than 1,400 women and reported maternal-fetal health outcomes demonstrating higher rates of preterm birth, preeclampsia and health disparities in pregnant women with COVID-19.

The healthcare leaders reconfigured the group into the Synergy of Scholars for Maternal and Infant Health Equity in Michigan, or SOS Maternity in Michigan, Network to further investigate and implement evidence-based practices to improve maternal and infant health disparities across the state. Institutions in the network are responsible for more than 50,000 deliveries per year in Michigan.


Organizations participating in the network include: 

• Corewell Health East (Royal Oak)

• Corewell Health East (Dearborn)

• Corewell Health West (Grand Rapids)

• Detroit Medical Center

• Henry Ford Health

• Hurley Hospital

• Hutzel Women’s Health Specialists 

• Michigan State University

• Oakland University

• Sparrow – University of Michigan

• Trinity Health Ann Arbor

• University of Michigan 

• Wayne Health

• Wayne State University