NIH IMPROVE Initiative

In early 2019, Co-Chairs Adams and Underwood met with then-Director Francis Collins of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to urge the agency to do more to prioritize research that will help solve our maternal health crisis. In response, NIH launched the Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative later that year.

The IMPROVE initiative supports research to reduce preventable causes of maternal deaths and improve health for women before, during, and after pregnancy. It includes a special emphasis on health disparities and populations that are disproportionately affected, such as racial and ethnic minorities, very young women and women of advanced maternal age, and people with disabilities. 

Through the federal appropriations process, the Caucus has increased funding for the Initiative five-fold since it was launched. For the full list of projects supported by NIH IMPROVE, visit our Momnibus Money Tracker or click HERE. 

Despite its critical mission, the program lacks sustained authorized funding. The bipartisan NIH IMPROVE Act, first introduced in the House by Representatives Lauren Underwood (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and then in the Senate by Senators Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Katie Britt (R-AL), would authorize permanent funding, ensuring the continuation of essential maternal health research.

The NIH IMPROVE Act would:

  • Authorize $53.4 million annually for seven years to sustain the IMPROVE Initiative, focusing on research into the causes of maternal mortality and severe morbidity.
  • Fund studies addressing disparities in maternal health outcomes and reduce preventable maternal deaths.
  • Establish a robust evidence base to enhance care and outcomes in underserved maternal care areas.

A printable fact sheet on the bill is available HERE, and the full legislative text can be viewed HERE.

To see whether your Members of Congress support the NIH IMPROVE Act, click HERE for a current list of House cosponsors and HERE for a current list of Senate cosponsors.