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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Maternal health and prenatal care

Exploring Health Center Capacity in Rural Maternity Care Deserts
Examines the capacity for health centers to provide maternal healthcare in rural maternity care deserts. Compares the performance of priority health centers (PHC) and non-PHCs and national benchmarks on the prenatal patients, the number of patients who delivered with a health center provider, the percent low birth weight babies, and the percent prenatal patients who received prenatal care in the first trimester.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Rural and Minority Health Research Center: Annual Report 2020
Highlights research projects in areas including healthcare access, maternal and child health, health economics and policy, cancer prevention and control, and social determinants of health. Features statistics on hospital-based obstetric units from 2002-2013 with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore locations, social determinants of health in rural areas with breakdowns by race or ethnicity, adverse child experiences exposure with breakdowns by urban or rural location, and colorectal cancer incidence trends from 2000-2016 with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Delaware State Health Improvement Plan: 2020 Annual Report
Assesses policy improvements and the alignment of activities among 9 key Delaware stakeholder groups with the 2018-2023 Delaware State Health Needs Assessment and State Health Improvement Plan. Includes sections on chronic disease, maternal and child health, substance use disorders, and mental health, and offers system-wide recommendations.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Delaware Health and Social Services, University of Delaware Partnership for Healthy Communities
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Maternal Mortalities and Severe Maternal Morbidity in Arizona
Provides an overview of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in Arizona as related to issues such as access to healthcare, social determinants of health, and quality of care. Utilizes 2016-2017 data to examine adverse maternal outcomes by county as well as by demographic information such as age, race/ethnicity, rural versus urban geographic location, and more.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
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Rural Resilience: The Role of Birth Centers in the United States
Highlights a study on the efficacy of the birth center model for maternity care and delivery in rural communities compared with their urban and suburban counterparts. Breaks down data by core variables, such as maternal age, maternal and infant outcomes, and transfers, among other measures.
Author(s): Diana Jolles, Susan Stapleton, Jennifer Wright, et al.
Citation: Birth, 47(4), 430–437
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
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Prevalence and Geographic Distribution of Obstetrician-Gynecologists Who Treat Medicaid Enrollees and Are Trained to Prescribe Buprenorphine
Highlights a study on the geographic distribution of Medicaid-claimant obstetrician-gynecologists trained to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. Compares provider prevalence in rural versus urban counties.
Author(s): Max Jordan Nguemeni Tiako, Jennifer Culhane, Eugenia South, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 3(12), e2029043
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
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Washington State's 1115 Family Planning Demonstration Evaluation - Findings from January 2012 to May 2018
Report highlights data pertaining to family planning waiver enrollment in Washington state from 2012 to 2018. Breaks down waivers issued for low income, high income, and pregnancy-related reasons and compares rural and urban populations.
Author(s): Tenaya Sunbury, Dorothy Lyons, Z. Joyce Fan, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
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Incidence of Adverse Events in Indian Health Service Hospitals
Explores the occurrence of harm events in Indian Health Service (IHS) hospitals. Discusses the rates of adverse harm events, or those leading to prolonged or permanent patient harm, and temporary harm events. Breaks down data by hospital size and patient age and reason for admission. Makes recommendations regarding quality control and oversight.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Instances of IHS Labor and Delivery Care Not Following National Clinical Guidelines or Best Practices
Evaluates the labor and delivery practices of Indian Health Service (IHS) hospitals and highlights instances when they deviate from national clinical guidelines. Discusses the negative patient outcomes from deviating from national guidelines and makes recommendations regarding site visits and training.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve Maternal Health
Describes the state of maternal health in the United States, including data and statistics on mortality and morbidity. Discusses risks to maternal health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, infectious diseases, mental health conditions, intimate partner violence, and more. Recommends strategies and actions that individuals, organizations, and communities can implement to improve maternal health and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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