Maternal health crisis in North Texas

North Texas is confronting a staggering maternal health crisis. In Tarrant County alone, the maternal mortality rate has reached an estimated 48 deaths per 100,000 births. To fight back, the North Texas Maternal Health Accountability (MHA) program has launched the MOMS dashboard, a first-of-its-kind early warning system designed to save lives through hyper-local data.

Predictive Power at the Neighborhood Level

Unlike traditional reports that look at the past, the MOMS dashboard uses predictive analytics to look 12 months into the future. It forecasts surges in:

• Severe Obstetric Complications (SOC)
• Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) admissions

By mapping this data down to specific ZIP Codes and census tracts, healthcare providers and community leaders can see exactly where mothers and babies are most at risk.

Seeing the "Why" Behind the Risk

In partnership with the data science experts at PCCI, the dashboard combines clinical medical data with Non-Medical Drivers of Health (NMDoH). This reveals "hot spots" where medical risks intersect with social vulnerabilities, such as:

• Neighborhood instability and poverty
• High unemployment and economic instability
• Limited transportation and prenatal care access
• Health literacy challenges

Proactive Action, Not Reactive Care

With this "hyper-local foresight," MHA partners can move beyond reactive care and proactively direct resources to the neighborhoods that need them most. Targeted interventions include:

• Deploying mobile prenatal clinics to underserved areas.
• Expanding telehealth services for at-risk ZIP Codes.
• Accelerating distribution of iron supplements and other medical support.
• Bolstering social support in areas with low health literacy.

"For the first time, we have a true early-warning system for maternal health at the community level. We can finally see where and why mothers are at risk and act before it’s too late." — Steve Miff, PhD, President and CEO of PCCI

A Shared Mission to Save Lives

Dr. Stuart Flynn, co-lead of the North Texas MHA and Founding Dean of TCU’s Burnett School of Medicine, emphasizes that North Texas cannot accept these alarming statistics. The MOMS dashboard is a call to action for clinicians, public health experts, and policymakers to align their efforts and turn the tide on this crisis.

The MOMS dashboard will be publicly accessible via an online portal, ensuring that every community partner in North Texas has the reliable data needed to protect mothers and newborns.