MONROE — According to the CDC, 817 women died in 2022 from maternal health related causes. More than two thirds of these deaths are considered preventable. 

Knowing the first few weeks following childbirth come with many potential life-threatening health risks, SSM Health in Wisconsin launched a first-in-Wisconsin post-birth alert program on Jan. 1. Through this program, all mothers who deliver at SSM Health Monroe Hospital and other SSM Health hospitals in Wisconsin are given an orange bracelet to wear for at least six weeks after they give birth. The bracelet serves as a visual identifier to medical teams that the patient recently gave birth and they could be experiencing a post-pregnancy complication like blood clots, hemorrhaging, sepsis, or cardiomyopathy.

Michele Schiess, Acute Care and Emergency Services Director at SSM Health in Monroe, lead the way in implementing the program at SSM Health’s hospitals in Baraboo, Fond du Lac, Janesville, Madison, Monroe and Waupun.

“Many postpartum deaths could be avoided if post-pregnancy and delivery complications were considered earlier in medical emergencies,” Schiess said. “These bracelets could save lives by making emergency responders and clinicians aware of potential complications earlier in an emergency, leading to better care for women in this critical post-partum time.”

To fully implement this program, SSM Health is working to educate area EMS service partners and other community health systems to ensure women wearing a post-birth alert bracelet receive prompt emergency care for potential post-pregnancy complications. Additionally, patients receive education about potential health complications at their 36-week checkup and after delivery. Before they leave the hospital, they receive the bracelet and instructions for wearing it.

The post-birth alert bracelet was first introduced in Florida in November of 2023. Since then, the bracelets have been implemented in other states, including Illinois.