Policy experts say one way to help close the racial gap in maternal health outcomes is to ensure people on Medicaid dont lose coverage two months after pregnancy.

A bereavement program at Riley Maternity Tower at Riley Children’s Health, called Pathways to Hope, aims to meet the emotional needs of grieving families after the loss of a pregnancy or child.

It's been 10 years since Indiana made reducing maternal and infant mortality a top priority. But despite a lack of improvement in those rates, State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said progress has been made.

Between 2018 and 2020, eight Indiana counties have seen improvements in access to maternity care: Adams, Daviess, Delaware, Fulton, Johnson, Lagrange, Miami, Vermillion and Wabash. And nine have gotten worse: Fayette, Greene, Henry, La Porte, Orange, Pulaski, Ripley, Scott and Steuben.

The latest maternal mortality report from the Indiana State Department of Health found that more women are dying during pregnancy and up to a year after delivery in Indiana.

The program is open to anyone in the state and covers all types and brands of birth control.

Indiana's maternal mortality rate ranks near the bottom when compared to other states, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 60 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.

Dr. Chaniece Wallace's death highlights a stark racial disparity in maternal mortality rates. Nationwide, Black women are at least twice as likely to die in pregnancy, childbirth or within a year of pregnancy as white women.

St. Joe County say focusing on a mother's access to health care has been key to those results.

Systemic racism has a huge impact on the health of African-Americans in the U.S. It's literally a problem from cradle to grave, affecting everything from infant mortality to life expectancy. And now, COVID-19 is taking a disproportionate toll on the community.