File #: T2025-4113    Version: * Name: NYC Health and Hospitals facilities to report to NYPORTS on adverse maternal health events based on an expanded and standardized definition of adverse maternal health events, including adverse events at least 30 days post-partum.
Type: Resolution Status: Introduced
Committee: Committee on Hospitals
On agenda: 10/9/2025
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: Resolution calling on New York City Health and Hospitals facilities to report to NYPORTS on adverse maternal health events based on an expanded and standardized definition of adverse maternal health events, including adverse events at least 30 days post-partum.
Sponsors: Mercedes Narcisse
Council Member Sponsors: 1
Attachments: 1. Res. No.

Res No.

Resolution calling on New York City Health and Hospitals facilities to report to NYPORTS on adverse maternal health events based on an expanded and standardized definition of adverse maternal health events, including adverse events at least 30 days post-partum.

 

By Council Member Narcisse

                     Whereas, According to the 2021 Maternal Mortality in New York City report prepared by the New York City (NYC) Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) in 2024, there were 58 pregnancy-associated deaths in NYC in 2021, with 30 of those deaths confirmed to be pregnancy-related; and

                     Whereas, According to the MMRC, a pregnancy-associated death is a death from any cause during a pregnancy or within one-year from the end of a pregnancy and a pregnancy-related death is a subset of pregnancy-associated deaths, which describes any death during or within one year of a pregnancy that are caused by a pregnancy complication, a chain of events initiated by pregnancy, or the aggravation of an unrelated condition by the pregnancy; and

                     Whereas, According to the MMRC’s most recent Pregnancy Associated Five-Year Mortality Report, 58 deaths is unfortunately within the normal annual range, with 50 to 60 birthing people losing their lives in NYC during pregnancy each year between 2016 and 2020; and

                     Whereas, According to the New York State Maternal Mortality Review Board (MMRB), severe maternal morbidity refers to a group of potentially life-threatening complications that arise unexpectedly during childbirth that can result in significant short- or long-term consequences to a woman or pregnant person’s health; and

                     Whereas, According to the MMRB’s Severe Maternal Morbidity in New York State (2017-2022) report, NYC consistently has the highest severe maternal morbidity rate in New York State and has seen its rate rise from 83.8 cases per 10,000 live births in 2016 to 153.8 cases per 10,000 live births in 2022, an increase of 83.5 percent; and

                     Whereas, According to the New York State Department of Health, the New York Patient Occurrence Reporting and Tracking System (NYPORTS) is a mandatory adverse event reporting system established pursuant to State law; and

                     Whereas, An adverse event, for the purposes of NYPORTS, is an unintended and undesirable development in an individual patient’s condition which occurs in a hospital or diagnostic and treatment center and such events may include, but are not limited to, a death, injury, or impairment of bodily function that does not occur in relation to the natural course of an illness, disease, or proper treatment in accordance with generally accepted medical standards, equipment malfunction or equipment user error, and patient suicide, attempted suicide, or self-harm resulting in serious injury; and

                     Whereas, While the definition of adverse event is fairly broad, and while NYPORTS does require reporting on adverse events that occur during the care of pregnant people, the term maternal health, what adverse events should be included within the term adverse maternal health event, and the time frame in which a medical intervention, complication, or other outcome should be considered related to maternal health when conducting research or documenting adverse outcomes are not widely agreed upon; and

                     Whereas, The lack of a standard definition for and general understanding of adverse maternal health events may cause crucial data to be missed or left out of reports on maternal health, leaving policy makers and health care advocates with incomplete information and unable to appropriately address the current maternal health crisis; and

Whereas, New York City Health and Hospitals can fill this gap in data and represent the gold standard for reporting by working with NYPORTS and maternal health advocates to standardize the definition of adverse maternal health event, ensuring that this definition covers adverse events at least 30 days post-partum, and reporting each of these events to NYPORTS or otherwise ensuring that such information is made publicly available and easily accessible; now, therefore, be it

                     Resolved, that the Council of the City of New York calls on New York City Health and Hospitals facilities to report to NYPORTS on adverse maternal health events based on an expanded and standardized definition of adverse maternal health events, including adverse events at least 30 days post-partum.

JN

LS 20254

9/30/2025