By Terrance Dixon and Danielle Pierce

The Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative (VNPC), a statewide collaborative that is housed at Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health, has been awarded a five-year, $1 million in federal funding from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Division of Death Prevention.

The OCME received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This significant funding will support OCME’s and VNPC’s shared efforts to address and reduce maternal mortality across the state of Virginia.

This is part of the CDC's Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality Program (ERASE MM) to support states in reducing maternal mortality rates by enhancing data collection, implementing targeted interventions, and fostering collaborative efforts between health care providers and communities.

According to the most recent Virginia Maternal Mortality Review Team Annual Report, published February 2024, a preventable death is a death that may have been averted by one or more reasonable changes in clinical care, facility infrastructure, community and/or patient factors. The MMRT determined that nearly 83% of all pregnancy-associated deaths in 2018 were found to be preventable. Ninety percent of cases among white women were found to be preventable as compared to 70% of cases among Black women and 80% among women of other races.

Founded in 2017 and led by senior director Shannon Pursell, the VNPC is a statewide perinatal quality collaborative that was created to ensure that every mother has the best possible perinatal care and every infant cared for in Virginia has the best possible start to life. The VNPC includes members from throughout the state, including health professions, clinicians, and partners from Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Virginia Department of Health, and Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

"This generous grant from the CDC represents a transformative opportunity for VNPC to advance our mission of reducing maternal mortality and improving health outcomes for mothers across Virginia," Pursell said. "We are deeply grateful for this support, which will allow us to expand our initiatives, enhance our data capabilities, and drive impactful changes in maternal healthcare."

This work aligns with VNPC’s strategic goals to use a data-driven approach to reduce maternal mortality rates and improve overall maternal health. By working closely with healthcare providers, community organizations, and public health officials, VNPC aims to ensure that every mother receives high-quality care throughout her pregnancy and beyond.

VCU Health remains committed to reducing maternal mortality rates and improving maternal health. In addition to housing the VNPC, the health system partners with community advocates, doula groups, and local healthcare departments to improve patient outcomes. In 2022, the health system launched an innovative doula partnership program, and as the only Baby-Friendly designated hospital in the Richmond area, teams at VCU Health empower parents with breastfeeding support. The health system also offers in-person and virtual postpartum support groups
open to the community.   

As an academic health system, VCU Health is also at the forefront of bringing together experts and teaching the next generation of providers on ways to reduce health disparities. In 2024, VCU Health joined the VCU Office of Health Equity and the Health Humanities Lab at the Humanities Research Center for a conference that addressed health inequities facing pregnant people and Black families, with the health system mission-driven to preserve and restore health for all people of Virginia and beyond.