Georgia disbands Maternal Mortality Committee after leak of confidential information

A hospital bed in Atlanta. Georgia has until next summer to complete its Medicaid redetermination process. (Jess Mador/WABE News0

The Georgia Department of Public Health is disbanding a board that tracks critical maternal mortality health data. (Jess Mador/WABE)

The Georgia Department of Public Health is disbanding a board that tracks critical maternal mortality health data. The move follows a state probe into a leak of confidential information to the national investigative news outlet ProPublica, which recently reported on two deaths linked to Georgia’s abortion restrictions. 

The Maternal Mortality Review Committee’s members include dozens of doctors, nurses, epidemiologists and other maternal health experts, who investigate every single reported maternal death in Georgia within a year of pregnancy.

The goal is to understand exactly what led to a woman’s death and determine whether it was related to pregnancy. The committee’s work informs state health policy and maternal mortality prevention strategies.