Hospitals will distribute orange bracelets to postpartum patients. Bracelets are worn as a reminder to watch for postpartum health problems.
WALLINGFORD — Today, the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) announced the statewide kickoff of the Connecticut Urgent Maternal Warning Signs Bracelet Initiative. The Bracelet Initiative — a state-funded effort led by the Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative (CPQC) and CHA — aims to reduce preventable maternal morbidity and mortality by improving clinical awareness of potential postpartum complications and conditions.
Starting this fall, birthing hospitals across the state are providing postpartum patients with an orange bracelet and an informational handout before leaving the hospital. Patients are encouraged to wear the bracelet for 12 weeks postpartum. The bracelet signals to healthcare professionals and first responders that the wearer is newly postpartum, enhancing timely recognition of and response to symptoms of potentially serious postpartum complications, known as “urgent maternal warning signs.” Complications may include eclampsia, blood clots, sepsis, cardiomyopathy, and perinatal depression.
Under the Bracelet Initiative, orange bracelets are distributed to birthing hospitals, and healthcare providers and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel are trained on the bracelet’s purpose and standardized lifesaving protocols, ensuring postpartum patients seeking emergency services are identified and triaged appropriately.
Today, at a kickoff event at CHA in Wallingford, birthing hospitals received an initial supply of bracelets, and hospitals are now working on developing implementation plans to provide bracelets to postpartum patients in their facilities.
“This coordinated effort weaves provider education, public awareness, and hospital-community partnerships into a tight safety net of cross-sector supports throughout the state,” said Jennifer Jackson, CEO, CHA. “When a postpartum patient wearing an orange bracelet presents in the emergency department or even experiences a medical event in the grocery store, responders know to ask, ‘Were you recently pregnant?’ and ‘Do you have any of these symptoms?’ Recognizing urgent maternal warning signs quickly means the patient gets help faster. This is a nation-leading initiative, made possible through state support and the dedication of providers across Connecticut. We are deeply grateful for these collective efforts,” said Jackson.
“A woman’s body undergoes tremendous changes during pregnancy and childbirth, and proper healing takes time. Complications like infections, excessive bleeding, blood clots, or problems with cesarean section wounds can be serious,” said Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Manisha Juthani, M.D. “Wearing these bracelets will tell emergency responders and healthcare workers to look out for urgent maternal warning signs. DPH is proud to partner with CHA on this unique initiative that expands training and awareness and ultimately helps to save lives.”
Training Healthcare Providers
In September, hundreds of hospital staff, EMS personnel and emergency department (ED) staff, and community-based healthcare providers participated in live virtual training sessions specifically tailored to inform each audience of their role in and relationship to the initiative. The initiative also establishes a comprehensive framework to guide birthing hospitals’ implementation of the Bracelet Initiative within their facilities. Hospitals will be supplied with a sustained inventory of orange bracelets as well as digital and printed educational materials for patients and providers.
Improving Maternal Health
According to the Connecticut Maternal Mortality Review Committee’s 2015-2020 Pregnancy-Related Deaths in Connecticut report, more than half of pregnancy-related deaths occur during the postpartum period, and most are considered preventable. This is consistent with national data. Connecticut hospitals and health systems are committed to addressing maternal health across the state and working collaboratively with lawmakers, community partners, providers, and patients to ensure those giving birth are heard and are decision makers in their care. The Bracelet Initiative advances the goals of CHA’s statewide strategy to improve maternal health through continuous collective efforts and advocacy.
The Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative (CPQC)
The CPQC, administered by CHA, convenes multi-disciplinary teams from hospitals and health systems, community health centers and clinics, advocacy organizations, and state government agencies to achieve measurable improvements in maternal and infant health outcomes. Through its work, the CPQC facilitates cooperation among healthcare providers, supports evidence-based practices, shares educational and training resources, and gathers critical data.
In 2024, several Connecticut hospitals contemplating the creation of postpartum bracelet programs in their facilities requested that the CPQC scale the concept into a statewide initiative. Hartford HealthCare and Trinity Health Of New England implemented bracelet programs in their respective health systems in the spring of 2025. The hospital leaders who built those programs collaborated with the CPQC and CHA to shape and execute the kickoff of the statewide Bracelet Initiative this fall. All initiatives are identical in purpose, design, and scope.
The Connecticut Urgent Maternal Warning Signs Bracelet Initiative is funded by DPH’s Maternal Health Innovation Grant. Funding from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) is also supporting the initiative’s rollout. Similar postpartum bracelet programs have produced positive results in other geographic areas. Connecticut will be one of the first states in the nation to implement such an initiative statewide.
Learn more about the Bracelet Initiative at cthosp.org/bracelet.
