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Maternal mortality is a medical crisis both globally and domestically. In the United States, 17.3 women die per 100,000 live births. Profound racial disparities exist when comparing Black women, who die at a rate of 41.7 per 100,000 live births, White women who have a mortality rate of 13.4 per 100,000 live births, and Hispanic women with a rate of 11.6 deaths per 100,000 live births. Maternal health and mortality continue to be an under-researched area of focus. Research continues to focus on prenatal care or other biological factors as a means of reducing the maternal death rate, but the issue deserves a more systematic approach. The purpose of the research study was to explore relationships among social determinant variables and the overall maternal mortality rate, as well as the maternal mortality rates for Black, White, and Hispanic women from 2010-2019 in the United States. The Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings database was used for the social determinants variables and the CDC WONDER database was used for maternal mortality rates. Correlation and regression analysis and visualization were used for examining the relationships and significance among variables. Variables such as food insecurity, education, and English proficiency were significant across most groups. However, the groups differed in significant variables suggesting that Black, White, and Hispanic women have unique factors that may influence their maternal mortality rates. These differences may be rooted in disparities and discrimination that minorities experience in the healthcare system. This study was the first study to examine the relationship between social determinants of health and the overall maternal mortality rate as well as the maternal mortality rates of Black, White, and Hispanic women. on a county level in the United States. The lack of evidence on the influence of socioeconomic variables on a woman’s health is concerning. As maternal mortality rates continue to rise nationally, it becomes important to study other non-biological variables that may affect the health of mothers. Exploration into the social determinants that may put women at risk for death is necessary to impact funding, policies, and change.

Every other day, one Ohioan dies waiting for a life-saving transplant (The Need - Nationwide to Stateside, 2015). A single donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation. Nationally, 79 life-saving transplantations are performed every day. However, in that same period of time, 21 people from the waiting list will die as a result of a lack of available organs (The Need - Nationwide to Stateside, 2015). A lack of available organs stems from a knowledge deficit of the process (Lopez-Montesinos et al., 2010). A strengthening of organ donation education will lay the foundation to prove the Economic Theory of Incentives. Individuals respond to incentives, and individuals wish to carry on the legacy of their loved one who has passed. Legislative policy needs to be created to inspire people in favor of donation. The creation of legislation that allows financial support for funeral and burial expenses by compensation to the funeral home or provide a donation to a charity dear to the family, via state supported funds to the family of the donor, will convey gratitude for the life-saving gift.