Rural Maternal Health – Resources

Prenatal Telemedicine During COVID-19: Patterns of Use and Barriers to Access
Study examining patient experiences with prenatal telemedicine based on a survey of 164 pregnant patients at a rural New England medical center. Covers barriers to accessing care, internet access, remote surveillance tools, and engagement with providers.
Author(s): Allie Morgan, Daisy Goodman, Julia Vinagolu-Baur, Ilana Cass
Citation: JAMIA Open, 5(1)
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Trends in the Incidence of New‐Onset Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Among Rural and Urban Areas in the United States, 2007 to 2019
Examines 51,685,525 live births in rural and urban women between 2007 and 2019 to study incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Provides Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Natality Database statistics and data broken down by rural/urban category, age, race/ethnicity, and census region, among others. Discusses impacts of trend changes in hypertensive disorders in both rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Natalie A. Cameron, Ian Everitt, Laura E. Seegmiller, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 11(2)
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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America's Health Rankings Health of Women and Children Report 2022
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of the health of infants, children, and women of reproductive age. Includes maps that show concentrated disadvantage by county within each state.
Additional links: Concentrated Disadvantage County-Level Maps, State Summaries
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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Policies for Reducing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality and Enhancing Equity in Maternal Health: A Review of the Evidence
Examines maternal health in relation to social determinants of health (SDOH), addressing disparities for Black, rural, veteran, and incarcerated mothers. Highlights environmental and healthcare issues, as well as strategies to improve maternal health outcomes through workforce initiatives, data collection, and policy changes.
Author(s): Jodie G. Katon, Daniel A. Enquobahrie, Kate Jacobsen, Laurie Zephyrin
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Health Disparities in Rural Women
Discusses the health disparities that exist for rural women in all categories of women's health, including obstetric and gynecologic outcomes and access to care. Covers programs to improve healthcare services for rural women and recommendations to reduce health disparities.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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Mapping the Location of Health Centers in Relation to "Maternity Care Deserts": Associations With Utilization of Women's Health Providers and Services
Explores the association between community health centers' (CHC) distance to a maternity care desert (MCD) and use of maternity-related healthcare services. Discusses the effects of rural hospital closures and provider shortages on patients' access to maternity care. Includes a county-level MCD map and county-level and CHC-level statistics related to MCDs.
Author(s): Anne R. Markus, Drishti Pillai
Citation: Medical Care, 59(10), S434-S440
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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Birth Volume and Geographic Distribution of US Hospitals with Obstetric Services from 2010 to 2018
Examines the characteristics of hospitals with obstetric services by volume of births between 2010-2018. Describes the geographic distribution, proximity to other obstetric hospitals, and metropolitan status. Presents data on birth volume by hospital characteristics, including Critical Access Hospital and Rural Referral Center designation.
Author(s): Sara C. Handley, Molly Passarella, Heidi M. Herrick
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(10)
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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Doulas Provide Support for Maternal and Infant Health in Rural Communities
Features a New Mexico doula program that reaches American Indian, Hispanic, and other populations who lack nearby labor/delivery units, a Minnesota program helping moms experiencing incarceration, and a North Dakota program training postpartum doulas to care for families impacted by opioid use disorder and other substance use.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Restoring Access to Maternity Care in Rural America
Examines regional partnerships to build rural access to maternity care through hub-and-spoke models of education and support from urban healthcare organizations to rural maternity providers, investments in telehealth, and remote monitoring systems. Discusses barriers to maternity care access in rural areas and highlights local examples of maternal health provider networks, investments in the rural maternity workforce, and policy implications of developing rural maternity care.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program: Highlights and Lessons Learned from the Planning Year (2019 – 2020)
Webinar recording discusses the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program and evaluates its successes and challenges. Includes information on network models and planning year activities, as well as baseline characteristics of the maternal health population prior to program implementation. Features presentations from Mission Analytics and Insight Policy Research.
Additional links: Audio Recording, PowerPoint Handout, Webinar Transcript
Date: 07/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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