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NEW YORK CITY, September 26 ??? In 1933 The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) published a groundbreaking study on maternal mortality in New York City that stressed the importance of educating both patient and clinicians and introduced a mechanism to gauge the health of a community through its health care delivery system. On October 2, 2008, the History of Medicine and Public Health Lecture Series at NYAM will present the Academy Award nominated film “The Fight for Life” by master documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz, as the first in its fall series of events to celebrate the 75th anniversary of this important report. Other events are a talk by Jacqueline Wolf, Ohio University: "Despite the Risk: Lay and Medical Perceptions of Obstetric Anesthesia," on October 30, and a talk by Ann M. Starrs, president of Family Care International, "Dying for Life: Maternal Mortality in the Developing World," on December 2.
At the time of the mortality report, the city was experiencing a high rate of deaths per 1000 live births. For the first time, a report of this kind looked at all five boroughs and sought to understand the factors leading to maternal mortality. Researchers looked at access to prenatal care, hospital standards, and protocols for mode of delivery, and proper clinical training received. The report stated, "Prenatal care was inadequate and improper. The patients repeatedly failed to seek prenatal care. Often if they did, it was very late in pregnancy and return visits were neglected. This was particularly true of patients from the lower economic groups ??? to improve this situation and remove the causes out of which it arises, it is evident that there must be a determined effort to educate the lay public."
To read and download PDF files of the complete 1933 report click here.
The results of this report, and more importantly the depth of the study, allowed a view of maternal deaths that before had not been accurately recorded. Today, maternal mortality rates are used to measure the overall health of a population.
Posted on October 2, 2008
Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10029
212-822-7285
amartin@nyam.org
Reporters: to arrange interviews with NYAM medical and urban health experts, contact
Andrew J. Martin, Director of Communications
212-822-7285 / amartin@nyam.org
The 2012-2013 Duncan Clark Lecture - The Affordable Care Act: An Insider’s View
Featured Speaker: Sherry Glied, PhD, former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
November 19, 2012 - The NYAM Section on Health Care Delivery welcomes Sherry Glied, PhD, former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who will deliver the 2012-2013 Duncan Clark Lecture on "The Affordable Care Act: An Insider's View."
Learn more »
The New York Academy of Medicine with support from the New York State Heath Foundation released a new report, Federal Health Care Reform in New York State: A Population Health Perspective.
This report identifies opportunities that build on both the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) and New York’s ongoing efforts toward improving the health of its 19 million residents.
Read press release
Read report
