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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Maternal health and prenatal care

Rural America Has a Maternal Mortality Problem. Midwives Might Help Solve It.
Highlights the role of certified professional midwives in providing access to maternal and newborn care using an example from an Amish area of Tennessee. Discusses differences in state policies and integration with local health systems. Includes a map identifying maternal mortality rates by state.
Author(s): April Simpson
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Pew
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Oklahoma American Indian Maternal and Child Health Data Review
Provides data on maternal and child health for American Indians in Oklahoma. Addresses demographics, chronic conditions, pregnancy health, infant mortality, and more.
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma State Department of Health
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E-Cigarette Minimum Legal Sale Age Laws and Traditional Cigarette Use among Rural Pregnant Teenagers
Uses 2010-2016 data from 32 states to explore how minimum legal sale age laws for e-cigarettes affects cigarette use among pregnant teenagers in rural areas. Provides data and statistics on smoking before and during pregnancy, underage teen births, and birth outcomes. Includes rural/urban comparisons.
Author(s): Michael Pesko, Janet Currie
Citation: Journal of Health Economics, 66, 71-90
Date: 07/2019
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All Texas Rural Hospitals and Clinics
Offers Texas maps showing counties with Critical Access Hospitals, Prospective Payment System Hospitals, and Rural Health Clinics as well as which rural counties offer labor and delivery services.
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
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A Conversation on Maternal Health Care in Rural Communities: Charting a Path to Improved Access, Quality and Outcomes
Provides a recording of a day-long forum on maternal health access in rural communities. Addresses statistics on maternal health access, disparities in access and mortality rates, healthcare quality, models of care, state and federal policies related to maternal health, and more.
Additional links: Agenda, External Summary
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Access to Maternal Health Care in Rural Communities: A Patient's Personal Story
Offers a short video featuring a patient's story about accessing maternal healthcare in rural Iowa. Includes the perspective of the obstetrician/gynecologist who provided her care using a combination of telehealth and in-person visits from South Dakota, the closest facility offering the services she needed. Transcript available below description.
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Overcoming Racial Disparities and Social Determinants in the Maternal Mortality Crisis
Provides testimonies and the recording of a hearing before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on disparities in maternal mortality. Discusses disparities by race and geographic location, social determinants of health, challenges in rural access to obstetrics, and potential steps for action. Includes testimony from the American Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Maternal Mortality Projects Coordinator at the Virginia Department of Health, and others.
Additional links: Lisa Hollier Testimony, Loren Robinson Testimony, Melanie Rouse Testimony, Patrice Harris Testimony, American Medical Association, Video Recording
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
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Rural Health Research Recap: State of Rural Women's Healthcare Utilization and Health Indicators
Summarizes rural and urban statistics describing health indicators and healthcare utilization for women, maternal and obstetric healthcare services, and maternal substance use. Includes information regarding barriers to accessing care.
Author(s): Shawnda Schroeder
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Indiana Primary Care Needs Assessment, 2019
Summarizes 2015-2018 efforts to identify gaps in healthcare access and allocate resources to communities in greatest need. Lists Primary Care, Mental, and Dental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations obtained between 2015 and 2018. Identifies population health priorities related to infant mortality, obesity, smoking, and substance misuse in Indiana.
Author(s): Chipo Chavanduka, Sierra Vaughn, Hannah Maxey
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Recommendations to the Indian Health Service on American Indian/Alaska Native Pregnant Women and Women of Childbearing Age with Opioid Use Disorder
Report details recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to the Indian Health Service on best practices for treating pregnant American Indian and Alaska Native women with opioid use disorder (OUD). Discusses screening for OUD, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and care integration, among other factors.
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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