New York City, Sept. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America (HMHBA) today announced an initial $100 million, five-year commitment from Olivia and Tom Walton to accelerate efforts to cut maternal deaths in half across the United States. The investment will fund state matching grants, high-impact partnerships, and the infrastructure needed to move proven maternal health interventions into practice at scale. Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America will use the $100 million as catalytic capital, seeking additional public and private commitments to multiply the investment and bring effective solutions to more moms and communities across the country.
The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. Two-thirds of these deaths occur in the year after birth, and 40% of mothers receive no follow-up care. Nearly all of it is avoidable: the CDC finds 87% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Those risks fall hardest on moms of color and on women in rural communities, where hospitals are closing obstetric units at an accelerating pace.
Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America is building a national bipartisan campaign around practical solutions, including expanding access to maternal health in rural areas via telehealth, growing the maternal health workforce with an emphasis on training midwives, investing in research and data, expanding postpartum care, and helping states implement interventions with measurable results.
“It was more dangerous for me to give birth to my children than it was for my mother to give birth to me in the 1980s. That is inexcusable — and it is fixable. Nearly 90 percent of maternal deaths are preventable. We know what works, and states across the country are already proving it. This investment is about scaling those solutions: getting moms into care earlier, making sure postpartum support doesn’t end with ‘see you in six weeks,’ and building a maternal health system around what families actually need,” said Olivia Walton, founder of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America. “America should be the safest place in the world to have a baby. We have the evidence and we have the solutions. Now we need the urgency and investment to make them available to every mom, across the country.”
“The U.S. spends more money for worse outcomes on maternal health. Far more than any other country in the entire world. Eighty-seven percent of these deaths are preventable, and 65 percent of them happen after the baby is born. That is unacceptable. And it is un-American,” said Robin Reck, Executive Director, HMHBA. “Olivia and Tom’s commitment is perhaps the single largest private investment ever made to cut the maternal mortality rate in the United States, and it fundamentally changes what's possible. We are not aiming for incremental progress. We are aiming to cut the maternal mortality rate in half in five years, and as of today we have the team, the partners, and the runway to do it.”
A recent national poll released by HMHBA underscored the rare and overwhelming bipartisan consensus across geography, income and political affiliation: 86% of voters say maternal health needs to improve and 79% would vote for a candidate who champions these reforms. All 15 policy proposals tested won majority support from Republicans, Democrats, and Independents – with telehealth and postpartum home visiting drawing the strongest support of all.
“Many solutions are already within reach – from postpartum blood-pressure tests and depression screenings to telehealth and better-equipped rural hospitals – but too many mothers, particularly in rural communities, still can’t access them,” said Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.). “It’s unacceptable that in 2026 in the U.S., maternal mortality rates are moving in the wrong direction. That’s why it’s imperative we work together across both the public and private sectors to reverse this alarming trend and improve health outcomes for women before, during, and after pregnancy.”
Pending legislation supported by HMHBA, including the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act (Sens. Hassan, Collins, Britt, Smith) and the NIH IMPROVE Act (Sens. Britt, Booker; Reps. Underwood, Fitzpatrick), could help expand access to care and connect mothers with existing resources.
“The economic consequences are equally alarming,” said Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). “Poor maternal health outcomes cost the U.S. economy an estimated $165 billion each year, while the average U.S. birth costs $20,416 – the highest in the world – even as maternal health outcomes trail peer nations, disproportionately affecting black and indigenous women.”
That’s why HMHBA’s campaign is bringing together leaders from across the political spectrum and is focused on turning broad agreement into action at the federal, state and private-sector levels.
“Our work is about closing the gap between what we know works in medicine and what mothers actually experience,” said Dr. Neel Shah, President of HMHBA. “A mother’s safety shouldn't depend on her zip code, her race, or where she gives birth. We need to modernize care delivery, strengthen the maternal health workforce and scale integrated care teams, including midwives and doulas, so high-quality care becomes the standard nationwide.”
Leila Roberts Healthy Moms Healthy Babies America 4157132009 press@hmhba.org