Interviews from 655 women participating in the Chicago Women's Health Risk Study (CWHRS) were used to assess prevalence and factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Black women had the highest rate of IPV overall and among pregnant women, and had decreased odds of PTSD compared to Black nonpregnant women. Hispanic pregnant women, however, had decreased odds of IPV and PTSD compared to Hispanic nonpregnant women. Disparities in IPV by race/ ethnicity and pregnancy status complicate the study of IPV and PTSD and have implications for the public health community.

Purpose Early detection of hearing loss in all newborns and timely intervention are critical to children's cognitive, verbal, behavioral, and social development. The initiation of appropriate early intervention services before 6 months of age can prevent or reduce negative developmental consequences. The purpose of this study was to assess, using large, population-based registries, the effect of co-occurring birth defects (CBDs) on the timing and overall rate of hearing screening and diagnosis. Method The authors linked statewide data from newborn hearing screenings, a birth defects registry, and birth certificates to assess the timeliness of newborn hearing screening and diagnosis of hearing loss (HL) for infants with and without CBDs in 485 children with confirmed HL. Results Nearly one third (31.5%) of children with HL had 1 or more CBDs. The presence of CBDs prolonged the time of the initial infant hearing screening, which contributed to further delays in the subsequent diagnosis of HL. Conclusions Better coordination of HL assessment into treatment plans for children with CBDs may enable earlier diagnosis of HL and provide opportunities for intervention that will affect long-term developmental outcomes for these children.

Having a condensed set of PCH indicators can facilitate surveillance of reproductive-aged women's health status that supports monitoring, comparisons, and benchmarking at the state and national levels.

This article reviews some of the current challenges for maternal death review in the United States, describes key findings from an assessment of U.S. capacity for conducting maternal death reviews, and introduces a new Maternal Mortality Initiative that aims to develop standardized guidelines for state- or city-based maternal deaths review processes.