Medical Board of California Responds to the Public's Request for Maternal Mortality Project Announcing Plan for Maternal Mortality Task Force, Say Consumer Watchdog

LOS ANGELES, March 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Medical Board of California agreed to enter into a contract with the Department of Public Health and other entities in response to Consumer Watchdog and its volunteer team of advocates' call for action to obtain comprehensive maternal mortality data. Medical Board members agreed with the advocates' concerns and called for the formation of a groundbreaking Maternal Mortality Task Force.

Families impacted by maternal deaths from across the state and their advocate allies came together last week at the Medical Board of California meeting to urge the Board to enter into a contract with the California Department of Public Health to obtain comprehensive maternal mortality data. Consumer Watchdog and its volunteer advocacy team advocated for more maternal mortality data that would reveal patterns of maternal negligence.

Consumer Watchdog and its volunteer advocates have worked with the Board for years, championing a more equitable enforcement process for patients and their families. They urged the Board to bring its quarterly board meeting to the community of Bakersfield creating an opportunity for families to meet and engage directly with Board members. At the August 2023 Bakersfield board meeting, advocates called for a comprehensive report on maternal mortality, and board members agreed requesting Board staff provide the report. After waiting two and a half years for the report, Board staff provided data that was woefully inadequate. In response, advocates attended last week's board meeting in numbers representing mothers and babies who had died in connection with four individual repeat offender doctors.

Following public comment, Board members responded in agreement with patient advocates. Physician board members asked for board staff to enter into an agreement for the maternal mortality data Consumer Watchdog's volunteer advocates requested. Board President Kristina Lawson requested that the Board also seek data from the Department of Health and Human Services and other entities. She called on the Board to collaborate with these other entities, ultimately recommending that the Board establish a Maternal Mortality Task Force.

One of the advocates who testified before the Medical Board was Dylan Izadseta, a mother who tragically lost her baby due to maternal negligence. During a scheduled appointment, Dylan met with a physician's assistant (P.A.) who recognized the serious possibility that she was leaking amniotic fluid. The P.A. urged her obstetrician to order regular stress tests and Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) ultrasounds to ensure the safety of her baby. While Dylan's OB concurred and signed the order, he ultimately failed to include the critical AFI ultrasound, a decision that would prove to be deadly.

"The next day after my doctor's appointment I began experiencing contractions that came with excruciating cramps. I reached out to my doctor's office and was told to wait until I had six contractions within an hour before heading to the hospital," said Dylan Izadseta. "I could still feel my baby moving as I headed to the hospital. Upon my arrival, staff could not find a heartbeat. My heart sank as I watched the ultrasound reveal my baby slumped over. My beautiful baby was gone. If only my doctor had performed the AFI ultrasound, he would have discovered that I had zero amniotic fluid."

You can read more about Dylan and her baby's story here.

Another mother who has attended medical board meetings with Consumer Watchdog for years is Tracy Dominguez. Tracy lost her daughter and her grandson to maternal negligence due to the actions of two repeat offender doctors when her daughter's clear signs of preeclampsia were ignored, and she was discharged with no diagnosis. Tracy's grandson faced a postmortem c-section alone where he faced mistake after mistake and died 18 hours following his birth.

"We have brought many issues to this board. We encouraged you to host your board meeting in Bakersfield and we are glad that you did. We asked for a maternal mortality report and you gave us this," stated Tracy Dominguez. "It is your job to protect consumers. I think this next step in data collection will give us the data we need to see patterns of negligence and give us the ability to change policy and take action."

You can read more about Tracy's daughter's story here, and you can read more about her grandson's story here.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog