SSM Health in Wisconsin launches first-in-state post-birth alert program

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 January 1. Through this program, all mothers who deliver at SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital, SSM Health Waupun Memorial 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.

Loraine Carley, Women’s Health Manager at SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, and Jessica Zimmerman, Women’s Health Manager at SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital, are leading education and implementation of the post-birth alert program in Fond du Lac and Waupun.

“Many postpartum deaths could be avoided if post-pregnancy and delivery complications were Identified earlier in medical emergencies,” says Carley. “These bracelets could save a mom’s life by making emergency responders and clinicians aware of potential post-pregnancy 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.

Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue Lt. Taylor Huenink says “Anytime there’s a medical emergency, it can be stressful for the patient, and medical information is often missed, forgotten or not communicated. The Post-Birth Alert program allows another way for responders to identify a medical emergency quickly, and anytime we can identify the problem and provide care faster, there are better patient outcomes.”

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.