Population and Public Health

A Government Relations Roundtable Discussion on Maternal Health

Man cuddling with pregnant woman on a couch.

On June 22, 2022, the HIMSS Global Health Policy Connection (GHPC) hosted its first roundtable discussion convening experts in maternal and women’s health from across the globe. Panelists discussed various areas that touch upon the issues affecting women before, during and post-pregnancy. Panelists highlighted ways in which their organizations, states, and countries are attempting to lower the rates of maternal mortality and health issues affecting mothers and women. Following the panelists’ presentations, audience members engaged in a dialogue reacting to the presentations, furthering the question: where do we go next?

The overarching purpose of this roundtable was to utilize the GHPC community as a space to bring together HIMSS members from each sector (federal, state, and provincial) to discuss ideas, share experiences and connect on the issues that matter. A current HIMSS priority is addressing the topic of maternal health globally, which is why a collection of perspectives with no preference for geographical borders is significant.

The following resource highlights key portions of the panelists’ discussion and critical takeaways for future debate and deliberation on the topic.

Who Are We?

The HIMSS Global Health Policy Connection (formerly the Federal Health Community) is a network of professionals from federal, state, and provincial government sectors working to leverage health information and technology to improve care delivery through government initiatives. This community provides a gathering place for HIMSS members working at all levels of government worldwide,. This group is dedicated to advancing the HIMSS vision to realize the full health potential of every human, everywhere, and our mission to reform the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology.

Overview of Roundtable

Maternal health continues to be a topic that is important to both HIMSS and governments from around the world.   Issues are not looked at in isolation but from different lenses and pathways to find ways of achieving better overall health outcomes. While governments do their part, it is also of paramount importance that those in the nonprofit and private sectors continue to introduce  innovations that address the problems that exist at each stage of a woman’s pregnancy, and long after it.