Philadelphia Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC)

Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) are multidisciplinary committees that convene at the state or local level to comprehensively review deaths that occur during or within a year of pregnancy (pregnancy-associated deaths). They include representatives from public health, obstetrics and gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, nursing, midwifery, forensic pathology, mental and behavioral health, patient advocacy groups, and community-based organizations.

In 2010, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) initiated the first ever county-level MMRC in response to rising pregnancy-associated deaths.

Data Definitions

Mortality: The number of deaths due to a specific illness or condition.

Pregnancy-Related Death: A subset of pregnancy-associated deaths which are caused by, related to, or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management.

Pregnancy-Associated Death: Any death that occurs during or within one year of the end of a pregnancy, regardless of cause.