This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Maternal health and prenatal care

Unrelenting Pressure Pushes Rural Safety Net Crisis Into Uncharted Territory
Examines financial and operational metrics for rural hospitals. Discusses the growth of Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment in rural communities between 2019 and 2023, the impact of MA on rural hospital reimbursement, how the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation can provide a path forward for some rural facilities, and the discontinuation of obstetrics and chemotherapy services at rural hospitals since 2011. Includes the percentage of rural hospitals in each state vulnerable to closure and nine factors significantly associated with rural hospital vulnerability.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
view details
State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit
Toolkit to support state policymakers in expanding the use of telehealth to deliver Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) services. Provides information on telehealth flexibilities under Medicaid and CHIP; billing best practices; strategies for telehealth in value-based care; best practices from states during the COVID-19 public health emergency; strategies to promote the delivery of accessible and culturally competent care via telehealth; evaluation strategies to understand how telehealth affects quality, outcomes, and cost, and more. Offers state policy and operational considerations; information about common telehealth modalities; frequently asked questions for states to consider as they explore whether to expand the use of telehealth; Medicaid managed care and fee-for-service state checklists; and other planning tools. Includes information about using telehealth to deliver services to medically underserved and rural communities, older adults, and other specific populations.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Needs Assessment of the Obstetric Workforce in Maine's Rural Hospitals
Report assessing the workforce needs for 15 hospitals with obstetrics units in rural Maine. Offers a SWOT Analysis and discusses factors contributing to sustainability of the workforce, community characteristics impacting the workforce, recruitment and retention challenges, and training challenges. Offers recommendations at the state, regional, health system, hospital, and unit level.
Author(s): Brianna Keefe-Oates, Katherine Simmonds, Louisa H. Smith, Jeni Stolow
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organizations: MaineHealth, Roux Institute, The Maine Rural Maternity & Obstetrics Management Strategies Network
view details
Evaluating an Enterprise-Wide Initiative to Enhance Healthcare Coordination for Rural Women Veterans Using the RE-AIM Framework
Evaluates success of a program to expand access to cancer screenings and maternal healthcare for rural female Veterans in the areas of reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance in 14 Veterans Health Administration facilities.
Author(s): Mark R. Relyea, Rebecca L. Kinney, Eric C. DeRycke, et al
Citation: Frontiers in Health Services 3, 1237701
Date: 01/2024
view details
Health Status Profile of American Indians in Arizona: 2021 Data Book
Provides detailed data on Native Americans in Arizona. Covers sociodemographics, healthcare use, mortality by age and for different causes such as diabetes, and maternal and newborn health factors. Presents data by tribe and by select county for Native populations residing off-reservation.
Author(s): Matthew Roach, Yan Huang, Clare Torres
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
view details
Closing the Gap: How a Community Effort Can Improve Rural Maternity Care
Case study of a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) that increased access to maternal healthcare in rural North Carolina by opening a maternity care center. Discusses recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals and collaboration among healthcare organizations in the community.
Author(s): Jesus Ruiz
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 22(1), 68
Date: 01/2024
view details
Veterans Health: VA Should Improve Its Monitoring of Severe Maternal Complications and Mental Health Screenings
Examines Veterans Administration (VA) data on deaths and severe maternal morbidity among pregnant and postpartum veterans from fiscal year 2011 through 2020. Explores actions the VA has taken to monitor maternal health outcomes among pregnant and postpartum veterans and the extent to which the VA facilitates mental health screenings for these veterans. Offers recommendations to the VA regarding monitoring trends in severe maternal morbidity by veteran characteristics and maternity care coordinators' screening of veterans for mental health conditions. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Health in Rural Missouri: Biennial Report 2024-2025
Provides information on rural population health in Missouri, focusing on the social drivers of health, maternal and infant health, healthcare access, and more. Includes metro versus nonmetro as well as county-level data on health outcomes, social indicators, and mortality.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
view details
Risk Factors for Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Arkansas 2024
Provides state, region, and county-level data for Arkansas related to substance abuse by youth. Identifies risk factors associated with drug and alcohol abuse, such as the number of arrests, unemployment, school infractions, tobacco and cannabis retailers, and more, as well as associated public health outcomes such as substance use-related mortality.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organizations: Arkansas Department of Human Services, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, UA Little Rock MidSOUTH Center for Prevention and Training
view details
Health Profile of American Indian and Alaska Native Population in Arizona, 2024
Provides detailed data on health conditions and mortality among Native Americans in Arizona in order to inform tribal leaders and organizations and support public health interventions in tribal communities. Contains data on mortality related to common health conditions, rates of infectious and chronic disease, and social determinants of health. Includes comparisons between AI/AN people who reside on tribal lands, AI/AN people who live off tribal lands, and the state of Arizona as a whole.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
view details