Health care
BY HALEY MCLEOD
While Travis County maternal health data indicates better than average outcomes compared to the state, disparities still persist, according to local social service workers, especially among racial lines. One way health professionals assess a community’s maternal health is by examining preterm birth rates, according to Austin Public Health. A high rate of preterm births, occurring before 37 weeks of pregnancy, is often tied to underlying challenges facing mothers, said Estephanie Olivares, an APH program supervisor. County o cials track these rates to identify gaps in care for the community. TravCo program focuses on at- risk mothers
What’s being done
Items worth mentioning
After Texas lawmakers banned most abortions in 2021, hundreds of women faced higher risk of complications—including death—due to delayed or denied care, according to a testimony during the 2025 Texas Legislative session and ProPublica data that was cited in feedback to the bill and in a lawsuit against the state. The law was intended to protect unborn life by banning abortion after six weeks. Since the bill passed, the sepsis rate has doubled among pregnant Texans, the report states. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body has an extreme response to infection, which can lead to organ failure. Recently, the Texas Legislature approved Senate Bill 31 that clari es the state’s near-total abortion bans, providing more direction for doctors when treating life- threatening conditions before a patient faces “imminent” death.
TravCo percentage of births with no or late prenatal care Prenatal care is crucial for preventive measures that improve outcomes in maternal and child health, per APH.
White: 10.8%
Black: 22.9%
Hispanic: 27.4%
Other: 14.7%
SOURCE: AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNITY IMPACT NOTE: DATA IS FROM 2022, THE MOST RECENT YEAR AVAILABLE
Locally, APH created the Maternal Infant Out- reach program to “bridge the gap,” Olivares said. She explained that the organization is a “sister- hood” that meets with expecting and new mothers to help address socioeconomic factors such as housing, access to food and access to health care. Community health workers conduct regular home visits, providing education and resources. “In addition to just the regular barriers to care and quality of life, there is implicit bias and even medical racism that is experienced that adds an additional layer to why we see a lot of that disparity in Black maternal health,” Olivares said. Since the state of Texas has implemented restric- tive legislation surrounding pregnancy-related procedures, providing resources and information has been more limited, Olivares said. “It’s not just Black women, it’s all women. ... It seems like we’re having [more] tough conversa- tions,” she said.
TravCo preterm birth rates
“We are in no way promoting abortion—what we are trying to do is save the life or the major bodily functions [of women]. I get a little emotional about this, but I’ve
Travis County Preterm births are tracked in the county to identify gaps in early and postpartum care.
got friends who watched their wives nearly bleed out and become septic. That’s the driver in this.” REP. CHARLIE GEREN, R FORT WORTH
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% Percent of babies born before 37 weeks
SOURCES: MARCH OF DIMES, NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS COMMUNITY IMPACT
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