A Lifesaving Mission: Utah’s ELEVATE Center Aims to Reduce Maternal Deaths
Center funded by the National Institutes of Health builds national model to improve outcomes for moms and babies affected by substance use disorder
Death during pregnancy or soon after childbirth is a chilling reality that occurs all too often in Utah and the U.S. Even more striking is that seven out of 10 of these deaths are preventable, says a new report from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. As maternal deaths continue to rise in Utah, the goal of University of Utah’s ELEVATE Center is to prevent these unnecessary tragedies from happening.
ELEVATE, one of 12 NIH-funded Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence nationwide, aims to reduce maternal and fetal deaths. Funded by a $14 million grant from the NIH’s IMPROVE initiative, the center focuses on pregnant and postpartum women affected by substance use disorder (SUD), a leading cause of maternal mortality in the state. ELEVATE’s work centers on changing that trajectory through culturally responsive care and health care provider education and support.
“My children have their mom today because of this care,” says Valerie, who fell on hard times during pregnancy and needed compassionate support to recover. The customized approach that defines ELEVATE’s practices helped her overcome adversity and improve her life in lasting ways.
“Our goal is simple but vital; fewer maternal and fetal deaths, and healthier moms and babies,” said Erin Johnson, director of the ELEVATE Center. “This grant is helping us build a system of care that gives women what they need to survive and thrive during and after pregnancy.”
A Unique Approach Rooted in Community
The ELEVATE Center builds on University of Utah Health’s nationally recognized Substance Use in Pregnancy – Recovery, Addiction, Dependence (SUPeRAD) clinic model, bringing specialized perinatal addiction care into the community settings where patients live and receive care. Through a partnership with Sacred Circle Healthcare,[RH1] [TM2] an urban clinic owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, the ELEVATE team is co-developing a group-based care model specifically tailored to Sacred Circle patients. In addition to clinical support, the clinic offers peer connection and cultural grounding.
The center is also leading an effort to provide interactive trainings to support rural health care teams in providing patient-centered care for individuals with SUD. This approach counteracts patient mistrust and improves clinical outcomes, Johnson explained. By building provider resilience and reducing burnout, this project will help keep rural health care providers in their jobs, benefiting all patients in rural communities.
“We’re not just running a research project. We’re building a model of care that saves lives and is meant to be used across the country,” said Torri Metz, MD, principal investigator of the NIH grant and maternal-fetal medicine physician at U of U Health.
Valerie’s Story: “I didn’t think I could do anything right—until they helped me believe I could.”
Valerie, a mother of three, found herself pregnant, in recovery, and without stable housing after a car accident led to a relapse. “I didn’t know where to turn,” she said. “I felt so much shame. I didn’t think I deserved to be a mom. I didn’t think I could do anything right.”
That changed when she found the SUPeRAD clinic, the foundation of the ELEVATE Center’s care model. “The people there saw me as a person. They treated me with compassion. They helped me believe I could get better and that my baby could be healthy. For once, I felt like I was doing something right.”
Today, Valerie is in recovery, raising her children, and working in peer support.
“This program is about life and death,” said Metz, maternal-fetal medicine physician. “When we support a mother through recovery and care, we’re giving her a better chance to survive and helping her baby start life healthier and safer.”
This work is about saving lives and giving families a future. It’s about making sure that every woman—no matter where she lives or what she’s been through—has the care, dignity, and support she needs to make it through pregnancy and beyond.
A National Model, Born in Utah
Utah’s ELEVATE Center is the only Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence using a clinic-based addiction care model for Native communities and implementing healthcare provider training in rural hospitals.
Now entering the third year of a seven-year grant, the Center’s future work includes scaling its model statewide and into surrounding Mountain West states. The perinatal addiction program is working with partners in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Nevada.
- - Written by Amanda Ashley