FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Some hospitals across the state are working together to prevent maternal deaths in Arkansas.

33 Arkansas hospitals are collaborating with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences through the Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative.

It will equip hospitals with education and resources to promote high-quality maternal care. For the first joint initiative, hospitals will take steps to reduce C-section births in low-risk pregnancies. The Centers for Disease Control says C-sections can increase a mother’s risk of infections and even blood clots.

UAMS says between 2018 and 2019, 23 women in Arkansas died from pregnancy-related causes and that 90% of those were potentially preventable.