Rural Maternal Health – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Maternal Health.
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.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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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.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Maternal Mortality and Morbidity: Additional Efforts Needed to Assess Program Data for Rural and Underserved Areas
Provides an overview of maternal health disparities in rural and underserved areas, as well as health system, socioeconomic, and patient factors that can contribute to maternal health outcomes. Includes information on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) programs implemented to reduced maternal morbidity and severe maternal mortality. Describes how CDC and HRSA use the data they collect and offers recommendations to improve the utilization of this data and coordination across federal agencies.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of maternal health disparities in rural and underserved areas, as well as health system, socioeconomic, and patient factors that can contribute to maternal health outcomes. Includes information on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) programs implemented to reduced maternal morbidity and severe maternal mortality. Describes how CDC and HRSA use the data they collect and offers recommendations to improve the utilization of this data and coordination across federal agencies.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Trends in Singleton Preterm Birth by Rural Status in the U.S., 2012-2018
Policy brief showing variations in preterm birth by demographics, payment method, and participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) during pregnancy. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): Maria J. Perez-Patron, Robin L. Page, Samson Olowolaju, Brandie D. Taylor
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Policy brief showing variations in preterm birth by demographics, payment method, and participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) during pregnancy. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): Maria J. Perez-Patron, Robin L. Page, Samson Olowolaju, Brandie D. Taylor
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Rural and Urban Hospital Characteristics by Obstetric Service Provision Status, 2010-2018
Illustrates the differences between urban and rural hospitals providing obstetric (OB) services. Compares them by size, capacity, location, and community characteristics, and compares these factors between rural hospitals with OB units and those that had discontinued services during the study period. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Additional links: Characteristics of Rural and Urban U.S. Hospitals Based on Obstetric Services
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Lindsay K. Admon, Mariana S. Tuttle, Bridget Basile Ibrahim, Katy B. Kozhimannil
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Illustrates the differences between urban and rural hospitals providing obstetric (OB) services. Compares them by size, capacity, location, and community characteristics, and compares these factors between rural hospitals with OB units and those that had discontinued services during the study period. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Additional links: Characteristics of Rural and Urban U.S. Hospitals Based on Obstetric Services
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Lindsay K. Admon, Mariana S. Tuttle, Bridget Basile Ibrahim, Katy B. Kozhimannil
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Obstetric Unit Closures and Maternal and Infant Health
Policy paper examining the discontinuation of obstetric services in rural communities. Discusses factors contributing to obstetric unit closures, including hospital financial constraints, Medicaid reimbursement rates, and maternal health workforce concerns. Offers policy recommendations to prevent additional obstetric unit closures in rural areas.
Author(s): Lindsay Corcoran, Catherine Clary, Sarah Brinkman
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy paper examining the discontinuation of obstetric services in rural communities. Discusses factors contributing to obstetric unit closures, including hospital financial constraints, Medicaid reimbursement rates, and maternal health workforce concerns. Offers policy recommendations to prevent additional obstetric unit closures in rural areas.
Author(s): Lindsay Corcoran, Catherine Clary, Sarah Brinkman
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Treating a Public Health Crisis for Rural Moms – A Comparative Analysis of Four Rural States Addressing Maternal Opioid Misuse with Medicaid Innovation Models
Discusses how 4 states - Colorado, Indiana, Maine, and Missouri - have used the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) model to address maternal opioid use disorders among rural Medicaid beneficiaries. Compares different approaches taken by each state, including benefit eligibility, health insurance payers and health systems partnerships, and telehealth utilization.
Author(s): Jason Semprini
Citation: Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy, 16(2)
Date: 2021
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Discusses how 4 states - Colorado, Indiana, Maine, and Missouri - have used the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) model to address maternal opioid use disorders among rural Medicaid beneficiaries. Compares different approaches taken by each state, including benefit eligibility, health insurance payers and health systems partnerships, and telehealth utilization.
Author(s): Jason Semprini
Citation: Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy, 16(2)
Date: 2021
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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
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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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
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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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
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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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
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Healthy Women, Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Futures: Action Plan to Improve Maternal Health in America
Action plan outlining steps the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is taking to reduce maternal mortality and address disparities that endanger women before, during, and following pregnancy. Four main goals include: improving prevention and treatment services to promote positive health outcomes for every woman of reproductive age; prioritizing quality improvement efforts to support healthy pregnancies and births; improving postpartum health; and enhancing data and research to inform future interventions. Includes data and statistics on maternal health and morbidity, and addresses rural considerations throughout.
Author(s): Dawn Alley, Andre Chappel, Nancy De Lew, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Action plan outlining steps the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is taking to reduce maternal mortality and address disparities that endanger women before, during, and following pregnancy. Four main goals include: improving prevention and treatment services to promote positive health outcomes for every woman of reproductive age; prioritizing quality improvement efforts to support healthy pregnancies and births; improving postpartum health; and enhancing data and research to inform future interventions. Includes data and statistics on maternal health and morbidity, and addresses rural considerations throughout.
Author(s): Dawn Alley, Andre Chappel, Nancy De Lew, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Infant Mortality in Rural and Nonrural Counties in the United States
Examines infant mortality at the county level and across the rural-urban continuum of the U.S. Utilizes infant death records from 2014 to 2016 to analyze infant mortality by rural-urban classification, county-level demographics, and individual-level demographics and healthcare characteristics.
Author(s): Deborah B. Ehrenthal, Hsiang-Hui Daphne Kuo, Russell S. Kirby
Citation: Pediatrics, 146(5)
Date: 11/2020
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Examines infant mortality at the county level and across the rural-urban continuum of the U.S. Utilizes infant death records from 2014 to 2016 to analyze infant mortality by rural-urban classification, county-level demographics, and individual-level demographics and healthcare characteristics.
Author(s): Deborah B. Ehrenthal, Hsiang-Hui Daphne Kuo, Russell S. Kirby
Citation: Pediatrics, 146(5)
Date: 11/2020
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Last Updated: 1/27/2026