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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Maternal Health – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Maternal Health.

A Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program to Address Rural and Medically Underserved Populations Using Telemedicine
Examines the Moms IMPACTT (Improving Access to Perinatal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Care Through Telehealth and Tele-mentoring) program in South Carolina, which aims to address perinatal mental health and substance use issues through healthcare partnerships and telemedicine. Provides details and impact of the program, including outreach and engagement with rural and underserved communities.
Author(s): Courtney King, Marie Hayes, Lizmarie Maldonado, et al.
Citation: BMC Women's Health, 25, 30
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
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Postpartum Health Care Use in Medicaid During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Implications for Extending Postpartum Coverage
Examines the impact of Medicaid continuous enrollment during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on postpartum healthcare utilization. Utilizes 2018-2023 claims data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) to analyze a pre-PHE versus PHE cohort of women. Includes healthcare utilization data with breakdowns according to age, race/ethnicity, eligibility group (Medicaid or other form), rural versus urban location, maternity care desert status, severe maternal morbidity and/or chronic health condition, postpartum month, and state.
Author(s): Amelia Whitman, Anupama Warrier, Sarah Gordon, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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A Rural-Urban Analysis of Buprenorphine Therapy During and After Pregnancy Among the Commercially Insured
Explores the use of evidence-based buprenorphine treatment and adherence during the peri-pregnancy period among commercially insured individuals by rurality. Analyzes data on 1,331,040 people between 15 and 44 years-old with diagnosis codes for pregnancy and labor/delivery from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019.
Author(s): KariLynn Dowling-McClay, Bill Brooks, Daniel Krauss, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative
Describes accomplishments of the Health Resources and Services Administration's initiative to strengthen, expand, and accelerate work to address maternal mortality and maternal health disparities, especially in underserved areas. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Resources for Measuring Rurality in Research on Maternity Care
Explores how different measures of rurality influence research outcomes, with a focus on maternal health research. Describes multiple measures and definitions commonly employed to categorize rural populations. Discusses the implications of these definitions for research, public health interventions, and policy formulation.
Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Emily C. Sheffield, Mary-Jane Adole, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Midwifery Care at Rural Hospitals in Montana and California
Provides a brief overview of hospital-based maternal healthcare in rural communities. Profiles hospitals that serve rural areas in Montana and California and how they have incorporated midwives into their maternity and primary care services. Identifies opportunities and challenges to employing midwives and incorporating midwifery care that may be helpful to other rural hospitals.
Author(s): Alyssa H. Fritz, Maggie L. Thorsen, Emily C. Sheffield, Katy B. Kozhimannil
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Unveiling Socioeconomic Disparities in Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy: A Comprehensive Analysis of Rural and Appalachian Areas in Virginia Utilizing the Multi-Dimensional YOST Index
Examines associations of rurality, Appalachian dwelling, county socioeconomic status (SES), and other demographic factors with smoking behaviors during pregnancy. Utilizes 2009-2020 Virginia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data.
Author(s): Asal Pilehvari, Ashley Chipoletti, Rebecca Krukowski, Melissa Little
Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24, 828
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
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Racial and Ethnic and Rural Variations in the Use of Hybrid Prenatal Care in the US
Examines how factors of race/ethnicity, location, and telehealth restriction waivers during COVID-19 impact the uptake of hybrid prenatal care. Provides demographic breakdowns related to telehealth use of women during pregnancy and the COVID-19 public health emergency, with additional data on health conditions, U.S. region, and urban or rural residence.
Author(s): Peiyin Hung, Jiani Yu, Sayward E. Harrison, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(12)
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
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State of the U.S. Maternal Health Workforce, 2024
Offers demographic and occupational data on the maternal health workforce. Data sources include various years between 2021 and 2023. Includes current and projected comparisons of the workforce with the female population of childbearing age. Table 7 includes distribution of maternal health physicians compared with the population of women of childbearing age for large metropolitan, medium metropolitan, small metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas in 2022.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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National Rural Health Day Episode: Addressing Rural Maternal Health Disparities, with Kristen Dillon
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Kristen Dillon, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the Federal Office for Rural Health Policy. Provides an overview of the current state of rural maternal health, including access barriers and disparities in health outcomes, as well as exploring the ways that the Health Resources and Services Administration is working to improve outcomes for rural mothers.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:


Last Updated: 1/22/2025