For families who experienced a loss

We honor the mothers whose lives were lost during or after pregnancy and recognize the deep impact on their families. By providing a space to share your loved one’s story, we hope you feel heard and supported in your grief and healing.

What is a family interview?

A family interview is a conversation with a trained professional to better understand what may have contributed to the death of their loved one. A family interview helps the review committee learn more about the specifics of each maternal death and allows more of the individual’s story to be told. The stories shared by family members are powerful. Our conversations with families help them to share their loved one’s story, honor the memory of their loved one, and contribute to a bigger conversation about improving maternal health.

Why are these interviews important?

The interview process gives families a chance to tell their loved one’s story, help their voice be heard, and provide support in the grieving process. These conversations serve as is a way to lift the voices of families and communities who have experienced loss and helps the MMMRC think about how we can prevent mothers from dying in the future. By hearing from people like you, we hope to understand the impact of maternal death on families, their communities and turn these life experiences toward positive change in maternal health.

Our conversation also provides necessary information to the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee to consider if the death was related to the pregnancy and/or could have been prevented. By reviewing maternal deaths that occur in the State of Massachusetts, we hope to make necessary changes to prevent similar deaths.

Where does a family interview happen?

Interviews most commonly happen by phone or online via Zoom but can also take place in-person at a mutually agreed upon location. We do our best to meet the needs of each family.

What happens to the information gathered from the interview?

All information is kept confidential (private) to protect the privacy of those mothers who have died and their families. Any directly identifying information will be removed from the interview before being shared with the Committee. This means that the MMMRC will not see any names, dates or other directly identifying information that can be traced back to your loved one. Your interview helps the committee form recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future. While the review of your loved one’s death is anonymous, the recommendations to prevent similar deaths are directly impacted by what you share with us.  A summary of past recommendations can be found in our legislative report. 

What if I have other questions?

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions to [phone] (call or text) or [e-mail]. We are here to support you as you navigate this challenging time.