Digging Deeper: Mapping Maternal Health
Combining Surgo’s gMVI with PolicyMap Datasets for Deeper Insights
We recently announced the integration of Surgo Health’s Granular Maternal Vulnerability Index (gMVI) into PolicyMap. Surgo’s gMVI ranks geographies on overall vulnerability to poor pregnancy outcomes and vulnerability across six themes: reproductive health, physical health, mental health and substance abuse, general healthcare, socioeconomic determinants, and physical environment. The gMVI index is an essential tool for identifying and addressing maternal health vulnerabilities, providing detailed insights into the factors contributing to disparities across communities. With scores ranging from 1 to 100 – where 100 represents the highest vulnerability and 1 the lowest – the index offers a clear, relative measure to guide targeted interventions and resource allocation.
Why This Matters
Maternal health is a pressing issue in the United States, highlighted by decreases in obstetric services and increasing maternal morbidity. Every year, between 50,000 and 60,000 women suffer from severe maternal morbidity — unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in significant short- or long-term consequences to a woman’s health. Furthermore, the U.S. sees stark racial disparities in maternal outcomes, with non-Hispanic Black women being three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than non-Hispanic white women.
In today’s healthcare landscape, precise data is crucial for improving patient outcomes and addressing health inequities. PolicyMap’s offerings empower health systems to enhance care delivery. Integrating datasets like area demographics, chronic health conditions, deprivation indexes, and poverty rates with the gMVI, PolicyMap enables a nuanced understanding of maternal health challenges and effective intervention design.
Unlocking Insights with PolicyMap and the gMVI
In the sections below, we share examples of how the gMVI themes can be combined with other PolicyMap datasets to create actionable insights. At the end, we link to the full article where each example can be read in full detail.
Physical Health Theme
Maternal health risks in Chicago are shaped by interconnected factors such as high rates of chronic diseases, like coronary heart disease (CHD), and social determinants like poverty and limited access to resources, which PolicyMap visualizes using Surgo’s gMVI Physical Health layer and CDC data to pinpoint areas of heightened vulnerability. Full example here.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Theme
Mental health and substance abuse challenges intersect with social determinants like access to care and racial disparities, as highlighted in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, where PolicyMap’s gMVI Mental Health and Substance Abuse index reveals vulnerable areas, emphasizing the need for targeted investments to address maternal and community well-being.
General Healthcare Theme
Systemic barriers to healthcare access and quality in rural areas surrounding Jackson, Mississippi—such as limited care availability, high Medicaid reliance, and racial health disparities—exacerbate maternal and community vulnerabilities, as shown by the gMVI General Healthcare theme.
Socioeconomic Determinants of Health Theme
Economic strain, housing affordability, and maternal vulnerability intersect in Gresham, Oregon, where financial challenges and health disparities converge to highlight areas requiring targeted public health interventions, as revealed by the gMVI Socioeconomic Determinants of Health theme.
Physical Environment Theme
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the gMVI Physical Environment theme highlights how factors like housing conditions, pollution, transportation access, and violent crime intersect with systemic inequities, disproportionately impacting maternal health and emphasizing the need for targeted interventions in vulnerable communities.
Reproductive Healthcare Theme
The Reproductive Healthcare theme, when layered with the CDC’s Lack of Social/Emotional Support data, highlights areas in Greater Houston where compounded vulnerabilities in access to family planning and emotional support exacerbate maternal health risks, underscoring the need for targeted, community-specific interventions.
We hope you take the time to dig deeper into each theme.
Request More Information
With PolicyMap’s detailed zip-code and census tract-level data, users can identify areas of high maternal vulnerability and tailor healthcare strategies to meet community needs. By overlaying datasets, users can uncover trends, disparities, and opportunities for action, ensuring resources are strategically directed to improve maternal health outcomes and advance equitable care. Fill in the form below to request more information about how your organization can access and visualize the socioeconomic factors impacting maternal health.