WEEK LONG. ALL RIGHT, MICHAEL, THAT SOUNDS GOOD. WE’LL SEE YOU THEN. ALARMING NEW NUMBERS SHOW INDIGENOUS, PREGNANT MOMS DIE AT A MUCH HIGHER RATE THAN OTHER GROUPS. BUT NOW A NEW HEALTH GETTING $250,000 TO RESEARCH IT. YEAH, WHY THIS IS HAPPENING AND HOW TO STOP IT. KOCO KYLIE WALKER TALKED TO EXPERTS THAT, OH YOU ABOUT HOW THEY’RE TRYING TO REACH THIS. SO THIS PARTICULAR RESEARCH AWARD IS REALLY AN ENGAGEMENT AWARD THAT HAPPENS BEFORE THE RESEARCH EVER DOES A TEAM AT THE OAU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER GRANTED. $250,000 TO RESEARCH WAYS TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY AND VITALITY OF INDIGENOUS MOTHERS. THE GROUP SAYS THAT MOST BIRTHS TO INDIGENOUS MOTHERS OCCUR IN TRIBAL OR INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE HOSPITALS AND ADDS INDIGENOUS MOTHERS IN THE U.S. DIE AT 2 TO 3 TIMES HIGHER THAN NON-HISPANIC WHITE MOMS. BUT THE RESEARCH ON ROOT CAUSES IS SCARCE. EMILY JONES WITH THE OAU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER SAYS THE CDC JUST RELEASED THIS WEEK SOME NEW DATA REVEALING BETWEEN. 2017 AND 2019. NATIVE MOMS DIED FROM MENTAL HEALTH REASONS. AND HEMORRHAGING IN BOTH OF THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, PREVENTION IS KEY AND PREVENTION IS POSSIBLE. THE TEAM FROM OAU PLANS TO FOCUS ON MOMS IN OKLAHOMA, KANSAS AND TEXAS WORKING WITH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TRIBAL HEALTH BOARD, WHICH SERVES 44 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES. THESE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS HOPE TO MAKE A ROAD MAP TO HELP BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT DETERMINES THE DISTRIBUTION OF MATERNAL HEALTH RESOURCES. AND SHAPES THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF INDIGENOUS MOTHERS. THIS IS HOW WE ULTIMATELY WILL BE ABLE TO ADVANCE MATERNAL WELLNESS AND OPTIMIZE INDIGENOUS MOM’S SAFETY AND VITALITY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER PREGNANCY.