or childbirth than White women: 42.8 Black women per 100,000 live births, as opposed to 12.5 White women and 17.3 women of other races. (7) The CDC recommends that maternal deaths be investigated through State collaboratives. These State collaboratives would bring together leaders in obstetric and neonatal health care from private, academic, and public health care settings to make recommendations for preventing pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths and health complications and identify ways to improve quality of care for women and infants. (8) A few States, including California, have worked to develop and strengthen maternal morbidity and mortality review systems and utilize data to reduce maternal deaths and injuries to address leading issues such as maternal hemorrhage, hypertension and preeclampsia, and health and racial disparities. (b) Purposes The purposes of this Act are the following: (1) To establish a shared responsibility between States and the Federal Government to identify opportunities for improvement in quality of care and system changes, and to educate and inform health institutions and professionals, women, and families about preventing pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths and complications and reducing disparities. (2) To develop a model for States to operate maternal mortality reviews and assess the various factors that may have contributed to maternal mortality, including quality of care, racial disparities, and systemic problems in the delivery of health care, and to develop appropriate interventions to reduce and prevent such deaths. 3. State maternal mortality review committees on pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths (a) Program authorized (1) In general The Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall establish a grant program under which the Secretary may make grants to States for the purpose of— (A) carrying out the activities described in subsection (b)(1)