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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Maternal health and prenatal care

Access to Hospital Maternity Care Units in Rural America
Webinar slides discussing the state of hospital-based obstetric units in rural areas. Looks at some of the characteristics of rural communities that correlate with obstetric closures and highlights some of the implications of lacking obstetric care.
Author(s): Peiyin Hung, Katy B. Kozhimannil, Ira S. Moscovice, et al.
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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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
Type: Video/Multimedia
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.
Date: 06/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
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
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
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2019 Arizona State Health Assessment
Presents county-level data on a variety of health measures in Arizona, covering maternal and infant health, child and adolescent health, health conditions in adults, healthy aging, and targeted population health for tribal communities, veterans, and border health. Examines community-level health and economic data and public health capacity to address health issues. Updated every 5 years.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
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Rural Health Research Recap: Rural Obstetric Services: Access, Workforce, and Impact
Summarizes recent research by Rural Health Research Centers on access to obstetrics (OB) care in rural areas, the rural OB workforce, and the impact of limited OB access for rural counties. Includes a map showing hospital OB services in rural counties, where they have closed from 2004-2014, and a chart with the percent of clinicians by type attending deliveries in rural hospitals.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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HRSA Maternal Mortality Summit: Promising Global Practices to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes Technical Report
Compiles key findings from a three-day summit, Promising Global Practices to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes, that includes reports, presentations, discussion, and other resources to improve maternal health outcomes from experts in the field. Provides an overview of maternal health, morbidity, and mortality in the United States. Covers the limited access to obstetric healthcare services women living in rural areas face.
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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