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Rural Maternal Health – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Maternal Health.

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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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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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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Maternal Health in Rural America
White paper describing factors contributing to rural maternal health disparities, including financial barriers to providing obstetric services at rural hospitals, maternal health workforce shortages, access to care, and quality of care. Outlines policy considerations to increase access to maternal health services in rural areas.
Author(s): Hailey Waldman, Alexandra Zimmerman
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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America's Health Rankings 2024 Health of Women and Children Report
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of the health of infants, children, and women of reproductive age. Compares rural-urban differences in mental health conditions, education, obesity, and smoking among reproductive-age women at the national level. Includes maps that show concentrated disadvantage by county within each state.
Additional links: Concentrated Disadvantage County-Level Maps, State Summaries
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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Rural Maternity Innovation Summit Reports
Findings from a March 2024 Clifton, Texas summit that brought together leaders from six innovative and sustainable rural maternity programs. The site report provides case studies, sharing information on maternity services, staffing, financial strategies, and more. The leader report shares strategies and identifies leadership competencies, values, and character traits that support the leaders' abilities to meet the challenges in providing sustainable rural maternity services in rural communities.
Author(s): Erin E. Sullivan, Benjamin Anderson, Mark Deutchman
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Colorado School of Medicine Rural Program
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The Task Force on Maternal Mental Health's Report to Congress
A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on maternal mental health including barriers to care, federal programs doing relevant work, identifying best practices, and offering suggestions to improve federal infrastructure. Topics discussed include substance use, mortality, social determinants of health, data gathering, community engagement, telehealth, screening, violence, policy, access to care, stigma, and more. Highlights programs across the country addressing maternal mental health issues including some in rural areas. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Health Insurance Coverage and Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence and Postpartum Abuse Screening Among Rural US Residents Who Gave Birth 2016-2020
Examines the relationship among intimate partner violence (IPV), perinatal health insurance coverage, and postpartum IPV screening in rural U.S. communities. Utilizes 2016-2020 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data to analyze insurance status among rural residents, postpartum visits, and IPV screenings.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Emily C. Sheffield, Alyssa H. Fritz, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(4), 655-663
Date: 2024
Type: Document
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:


Last Updated: 10/16/2024