DHS highlights efforts to improve maternal care and access across Pennsylvania at Black Maternal Caucus' Black Maternal Health Week Summit

Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh and Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones joined the first statewide PA Black Maternal Health Summit as part of Black Maternal Health Week.

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Since taking office, Governor Josh Shapiro has prioritized addressing maternal health disparities. In the 2023-24 budget, the Governor worked to secure the first-ever investment in addressing maternal mortality with $2.3 million to expand maternal health programming and for the implementation of prevention strategies to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. Governor Shapiro built on that success by securing an additional $2.6 million in the 2024-25 budget for maternal mortality prevention, managed through the Department of Health.

The Governor's 2025-2026 budget proposal continues this multi-year investment by sustaining $5 million to fund maternal health initiatives, including implementing universal postpartum depression screenings and improving referrals to care and resources for the roughly one in seven moms who experience depression during or within one year of their pregnancy.

The event, hosted by State Representative La'Tasha D. Mayes and the Black Maternal Health Caucus, focused on the role fathers play in helping mothers get the care they need. During the event, the secretaries hosted a listening session that will inform the development of the Shapiro Administration's Maternal Health Strategic Plan, which aims to improve health care access, reduce maternal mortality, and address inequities in health care.