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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Maternal health and prenatal care

Maternal Mortality in Illinois Counties by Race, 2000-2023
Provides maternal mortality rates for the Midwest, the U.S., and the state of Illinois, with state data broken down by county, metro versus nonmetro, and race.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Maternal and Infant Health: HHS Should Strengthen Processes for Measuring Program Performance
Provides an overview of the Healthy Start program, which aims to reduce rates of infant death, improve maternal health outcomes, and reduce racial and ethnic disparities. Describes Healthy Start grantees and participants served during the April 2019-March 2024 grant period, as well as services that grantees are expected to provide and changes to these expectations for the 2024-2029 grant period. Explores the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's (HHS) efforts to measure program performance, the extent to which Healthy Start performance measures meet key attributes of effective measures, and HHS' efforts to align Healthy Start performance measures with those of related HHS programs. Includes information on Healthy Start programs and participants by organization type, race, and rurality. Offers recommendations regarding reviewing and coordinating Healthy Start performance measures across Healthy Start and related programs.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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National Hospital Care Survey Demonstration Projects: Examination of Maternal Health Outcomes by Housing Assistance Status
Compares maternal health outcomes for patients receiving housing assistance to those who did not receive assistance using National Hospital Care Survey and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development linked data. Offers data breakdown by rurality of hospital location, health insurance coverage, maternal age, gestational age, delivery method, and length of hospital stay. Discusses possibilities for future use of linked data research.
Author(s): Josephine M. Alford, Lello Guluma, Doreen M. Gidali, Geoffrey Jackson
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Evidence-Based, Whole-Person Care for Pregnant People Who Have Opioid Use Disorder
Report presents care recommendations for treatment of opioid use disorder during pregnancy. Discusses the risks of opioid use during and after pregnancy and explores factors to consider when treating pregnant people. Highlights barriers for rural patients.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Rural Maternal Health Series: Achieving Birthing-Friendly Status in Rural Hospitals
Webinar recording discusses the quality maternity care improvements rural hospitals must make to earn the Birthing-Friendly designation from CMS. Features presentations from representatives of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), the CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ), and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 03/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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2025 Health and Human Services Evaluation Plan
Provides an overview of the 2025 evaluation activities for 49 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs. Includes evaluation information on rural focused programs such as Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS); the National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities; the Telehealth Technology Enabled Learning Program (TTELP); and more.
Author(s): Maura R. Reilly, Kristen Hudgins, Susan Jenkins
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Racial/Ethnic Differences in Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence and Postpartum Abuse Screening Among Rural US Residents who Gave Birth 2016-2020
Describes rates of self-reported intimate partner violence among rural residents before or during pregnancy, and the frequency by which different racial or ethnic groups are not screened for abuse after giving birth. Uses 2016-2020 data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a population-based surveillance survey. Features statistics with breakdowns by race or ethnicity.
Author(s): Emily C. Sheffield, Alyssa H. Fritz, Katy Backes Kozhimannil
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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2023 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report: Chartbook on Patient Safety
Summarizes trends in healthcare quality across 28 measures of patient safety. Presents findings for four settings of care: ambulatory care, home health, hospitals, and nursing homes. Describes disparities in patient safety by race/ethnicity, sex, age, and insurance status. Highlights disparities for maternal morbidity and mortality measures by rurality.
Author(s): Barbara Barton, Darryl Gray, Cecilia Hahn, et al.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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2024-2026 Tennessee State Health Plan
Presents a plan for health improvement in Tennessee for the period 2024-2026. Describes the state of health in Tennessee, identifies priorities, and makes recommendations related to early life, care delivery, social determinants of health, and more. Highlights goals for nutrition, maternal and infant health, older adults and healthy aging, chronic conditions, cancer screening, transportation, and health workforce.
Additional links: State Health Plan Priority Areas
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Optimizing Postpartum Care in Rural Communities: Insights from Women in Arizona and Implications for Policy
Analyzes the postpartum care needs of women living in rural Arizona. Reports on interview feedback from 30 women structured around themes of maternity care and networks of care, structural support and systems, and health information and literacy. Discusses potential implications for policy and practice related to rural postpartum care.
Author(s): Abidemi Okechukwu, Priscilla Magrath, Halimatou Alaofe, et al.
Citation: Maternal and Child Health Journal, 28, 1148-1159
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
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