Bethany Bump is reporting for the Times Union a task force formed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to review maternal deaths in New York has recommended the state establish a maternal mortality review board, and increase its use of midwives and community health workers. The New York State Taskforce on Maternal Mortality and Disparate Racial Outcomes released a report Mar. 12. That report included 10 recommendations that could be implemented if the state is serious about reducing growing rates of death among women before, during and immediately after childbirth. A number of recommendations in the report are already under consideration by the governor and state legislators, but the viability of many of those proposals will depend on whether state funding is committed to the effort. The U.S. has the worst rate of maternal deaths in the developed world. While most advanced countries have seen their rates drop, the U.S. recorded a steady rise in pregnancy-related deaths from 1985 through 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The trend is similar in New York, and the death rates are far worse for black women, with 51.6 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to just 15.9 deaths among white women in the period from 2014 to 2016. The task force recommended the state design and implement a comprehensive training program for health care providers and hospitals to address implicit racial bias. It also recommended the increased use of community health workers and midwives. Read the full story in the Times Union.