Rural Maternal Health – News
News stories from the past 60 days.
Oct 13, 2026 - The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced $12.7 million in awards through the Maternal Produce Prescription Program to help pregnant and postpartum women and their families in low-income and medically underserved communities access healthy foods. The program bolsters partnerships among healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and local food systems.
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Oct 9, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched the Newborn Essentials Support Toolkit in West Virginia. The program aims to offer families supplies and information in the days following delivery of a baby. One goal of the program is to reach rural and other medically underserved families.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Oct 5, 2026 - Announces awarded funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program which offers home visiting services for improved outcomes during pregnancy and early childhood. Notes that the program reaches families where services are more limited, including in rural communities.
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Sep 17, 2026 - Discusses recent research highlighting labor and delivery service access issues and describes challenges for rural Missouri. Discusses long travel times to care, why offering labor and delivery care is challenging for rural facilities, and how Rural Health Transformation Program funding is supporting doula and other services aiming to fill gaps.
Source: KCUR, NPR
Sep 11, 2026 - Describes a remote patient monitoring program for pregnant and postpartum women in rural Mississippi. Discusses the impact of the program on detecting common health conditions, increasing health literacy, and addressing mental health as well as how clinicians use the data in healthcare provision.
Source: National Rural Health Association
Sep 8, 2026 - Discusses the impact of labor and delivery department closures across the nation and highlights one Minnesota hospital that has managed to maintain labor and delivery services in spite of the trends. Describes budgeting and patient relationships as key factors in their success.
Source: NPR